Whittier Real Estate Market Snapshot, April 19, 2010

If you are a Whittier Resident, interested in Whittier Real Estate or are thinking about relocating to the City of Whittier, this is the perfect blog for you. In order to make wise decisions, you have to know what is going on in the market and we will be giving you the latest news regarding Whittier Real Estate (other city updates also available upon request) on an ongoing basis.

Whittier is a wonderful city with a long history (please go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whittier,_California#History or visit http://www.whittiermuseum.org/ for even more details), named after famed Quaker poet John Greenleaf Whittier. Whittier is located approximately 12 miles southeast of Los Angeles, and has a population of approximately 84,000 (based on the census of 2000, let’s see what the new census says, I’m sure we have grown considerably since then).

The Median Home Price for Whittier is currently at $315,000, based on figures from February of 2010 (Source: California Association of Realtors). The Median Home Price does is not an indicator of what Whittier Homes are worth in general, it merely shows that 50% of homes were sold for more than $315,000 and 50% at prices below $315,000 (the Median Home Price does not give you the average sales price).

As it is very hard to make a decision just based on the Median Home Price, we will be giving you the WHOLE PICTURE about Whittier Real Estate – how many properties are currently listed and in what price range, how many are in Escrow, how many homes were sold in Whittier last week, etc.

Here are the latest Whittier Real Estate numbers (snapshot) as of April 19, 2010:


Whittier Real Estate Price Range $0 - $200,000:
Active Listings:                                                   14
In Escrow, but accepting back-up offers:             20
In Escrow, pending sale:                                      36
Properties closing Escrow 04/12-04/19/2010:       1


Whittier Real Estate Price Range $200,001 - $300,000:
Active Listings:                                                              72
In Escrow, but accepting back-up offers:                       44
In Escrow, pending sale:                                                92
Properties closing Escrow 04/12-04/19/2010:                 7


Whittier Real Estate Price Range $300,001 - $400,000:
Active Listings:                                                             125
In Escrow, but accepting back-up offers:                        39
In Escrow, pending sale:                                                 84
Properties closing Escrow 04/12-04/19/2010:                  6


Whittier Real Estate Price Range $400,001 - $500,000:
Active Listings:                                                              53
In Escrow, but accepting back-up offers:                       16
In Escrow, pending sale:                                                16
Properties closing Escrow 04/12-04/19/2010:                 2


Whittier Real Estate Price Range $500,001 - $600,000:
Active Listings:                                                             31
In Escrow, but accepting back-up offers:                      11
In Escrow, pending sale:                                                 8
Properties closing Escrow 04/12-04/19/2010:                0


Whittier Real Estate Price Range $600,001 - $800,000:
Active Listings:                                                             29
In Escrow, but accepting back-up offers:                        6
In Escrow, pending sale:                                                 4
Properties closing Escrow 04/12-04/19/2010:                 1


Whittier Real Estate Price Range $800,001 - $100,000,000:
Active Listings:                                                              6
In Escrow, but accepting back-up offers:                       0
In Escrow, pending sale:                                                1
Properties closing Escrow 04/12-04/19/2010:               0


Whittier Real Estate Price Range $100,000,001 - $1,500,000:
Active Listings:                                                             14
In Escrow, but accepting back-up offers:                        0
In Escrow, pending sale:                                                 1
Properties closing Escrow 04/12-04/19/2010:                0


Whittier Real Estate Price Range $1,500,001 and more:
Active Listings:                                                              4
In Escrow, but accepting back-up offers:                       1
In Escrow, pending sale:                                                0

Properties closing Escrow 04/12-04/19/2010:               0

Klick on the graph to enlarge:

We hope you will find this information about Whittier Real Estate helpful. Stay tuned for more information!


If you have any questions at all or would like the same type of information for any of our neighboring cities, please feel free to contact us any time. To search for Whittier homes, go to http://www.serenefoundations.listingbook.com/ for FREE MLS access and/or visit our website at http://www.serenefoundations.com/!


Thank you for reading our blog!


Sincerely,
Steph & Shirley
The S & S Team
http://www.serenefoundations.com/


Stephanie Frymyer
Realtor & Real Estate Consultant, ABR, SFR, ASP
Member Worldwide Relocation Council
562-355-8120
DRE # 01390458

Shirley Williams
Realtor & Real Estate Consultant, SFR
310-308-6107
DRE # 01456658

DRE # 01157065

Christmas Time in the City of Whittier!

Christmas has come to the beautiful City of Whittier!


The Season officially started with the 15th Annual Grand Illumination on December 4th. The next milestone will be the 56th Annual Christmas Parade on December 12, from 10am to 12 pm (go to http://whittieruptown.com/wua/?page_id=2 for more information provided by the Whittier Uptown Association and to view a little YouTube video of past events).

 
 
  The motto of this year’s Parade is “Commitment to Community” and will feature many local businesses that help make the City of Whittier such a wonderful place to live in. The parade runs down popular Greenleaf Ave, from Hadley down to Mar Vista. I will be there taking photos so be sure to check back in next week!

As the parade ends around 12pm, you'll have plenty of time to grab a bite to eat at one of the many great restaurants in the area - for a complete business directory, go to http://whittieruptown.com/wua/?page_id=130 , and plan a wonderful and fun filled day with the family in the City of Whittier. One of my all-time favorites is "Crepes and Grapes", great French inspired atmosphere, yummy crepes, sandwiches, soups, salads and so much more! You can go to http://www.crepesandgrapescafe.com/ to see their complete menu.

After lunch, take a stroll down Philadelphia to get to Newlin, where you will find the “Whittier Historical Society & Museum”. You can’t miss the it (see below), it features a beautiful mural on the outside of the building. There are many different things to see, the current exhibit is titled “Fly Your Colors – Patriotism in Whittier”, and there is also a gift shop where you can pick up a little something to remind you of this beautiful day in the City of Whittier. Open Saturday & Sunday, 1pm – 4pm. For more information, go to http://www.whittiermuseum.org/ or check out http://www.whittiermuseum.org/About%20the%20Museum.html to download a brochure of the Museum.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

  If you enjoyed the Whittier Museum, I am sure you will also like the famous “Bailey House”, located at 13421 E Camilla St. It is the home of the first Whittier settler, Jonathan Bailey, and was built in 1887. It was deeded to the City of Whittier in 1975 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. It is currently run and operated by the Whittier Historical Society. For the complete history of the home, go to http://www.whittiermuseum.org/Bailey%20House.html. Open to the public Sundays, 1pm – 4pm.
 
 

 
 
 
  And to top off this Christmas season, the City of Whittier has one more event to offer: the “Holiday Sonata” on December 19th, 5pm to 9pm, featuring carriage rides along Greenleaf and a Santa’s Village in the parking lot along Greenleaf between Hadley and Bailey.

Enjoy your stay in the City of Whittier!

Sincerely,
Stephanie & Shirley
http://www.serenefoundations.com/

C.A.R. Mortgage Protection Program

The Housing Affordability Fund (http://www.car.org/tools/haf/ ) launched a new program on April 2, 2009, in order to ease the minds of first-time-home buyer's who were worried about potential job loss due to the current economy, and subsequent challenges in making their mortgage payments.


With the FREE C.A.R. Mortgage Protection Plan, qualified buyers can receive up to $1,500 per month for up to six months should they lose their jobs, and qualified co-buyers can also receive up to $750 for up to six months to be put towards the mortgage payment.

In order to qualify for the CAR Mortgage Protection Plan, a Buyer must:

1. Be a first-time home buyer (must not have owned a home within the past three years).

2. Open Escrow after April 2, 2009, and close before December 31, 2009. UPDATE: CAR HAS EXTENDED THE PROGRAM THROUGH 2010!!!

3. Use a California Realtor.

4. Be a W2 employee (must not be self-employed).

Please click on the links below for additional information!


Frequently Asked Questions:

http://www.car.org/3550/pdf/204893/Revised_Jul2009_HAFMPP_FAQ.pdf

Samples:

http://www.car.org/3550/pdf/204893/Program_Samples.pdf

Application:

http://www.car.org/3550/pdf/204893/HAF_MPP__FINAL_APPLICATION_1.pdf



Why not take advantage of this incredible offer - it is free! If you have any questions regarding your eligibility, please feel free to contact us directly.
Have a wonderful day and Happy House Hunting!

Sincerely,
Stephanie Frymyer
http://www.serenefoundations.com/

West Covina New Home Construction News

The West Covina City Council recently offered a First-Time Home Buyer Opportunity - the construction of a Single Family Residence that was offered to First Time Home Buyers. The construction of this home was a collaborative effort between the Regional Occupational Program and the Community Development Commission which provided students with hands-on entry level construction skills.


It is anticipated that through collaboration and partnerships with developers, property owners, businesses and the community, the Community Development Commission will continue to encourage development, rehabilitate deteriorating centers, attract and expand businesses, develop and increase the affordable housing stock within the City.

Other new construction underway is the Pacific Communities Park West development. This development is easily accessible from both the 10 and 60 freeways and just minutes away from shopping and dining. If you are into hiking and walking the Heritage Park trails are nearby as well as the local Farmer’s market that is held every Saturday morning. The Community will have 46 detached Single Family homes with up to 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. The square footage ranges from 2,153 to 2,362 and have granite counters, walk-in closets and stainless steel appliances.

If you are interested in taking a tour of the Pacific Communities Park West models feel free to contact us to set an appointment. There are many other gorgeous properties for Sale in West Covina and we can help you obtain one for yourself.

And if you currently own a home in West Covina just know that properties are still holding their vale in most instances and if you would like to know how much your home is worth we will come by to give you a free Market Analysis.

Have a wonderful day!!!!

Shirley Williams & Stephanie Frymyer
http://www.serenefoundations.com/

Please help if you can ....

As a Realtor, I work with people on a daily basis who are fortunate enough to either own a home or are in the process of purchasing a home. But in recent days, we are also coming in contact with people who are about to lose their home ... Sometimes people forget how important a home really is - it gives us shelter, it creates memories, it is where we raise our children, where we have fun with our families and friends, and where we get to shut out the world and just be ourselves.

I would like to ask everybody out there who is reading this blog to also remember those people who don't have a home at all, not even a rental! They live on the streets, in card board boxes, under bridges, in tents by freeway on-ramps, or in a shelter ... The number of homeless people is increasing sharply due to people losing their homes and jobs. In the Los Angeles area, according to Rebecca Isaacs, executive director of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, during the winter of 2008/2009, 620 families used its winter shelter program, up from 330 families the previous year (to see the numbers for other major cities, go to http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-04-05-homeless_N.htm ). According to a new report for New York released in October, 16,000 children were in shelters by the end of September ...

If you can, please try to make a difference in somebody's life this year. Be it for Thanksgiving or the upcoming Holidays, or no special occasion at all. There are local food banks everywhere, you can make donations online, etc. ...

I just got in touch with the LA Mission, and they will also accept clothing articles and shoes (including children's clothing) - and instead of them being sold, they will be handed out directly to people in need, completey free of charge! If you would like to contribute as well, here is the link to their official website: http://www.losangelesmission.org/  If you are thinking about a donation in-kind, they will even come out to your home to pick it up (just call them and ask for Eugene).

Thank you all so very much for your consideration.

PHOTO TOUR OF WHITTIER

A Photo Tour of the beautiful City of Whittier. Enjoy!

The beautiful, recently remodeled Whittier Transportation Center (on Greenleaf)

Welcome to Uptown Whittier

Ruth B. Shannon Center for the Performing Arts (Whittier College)

The Whittier Radisson (on Greenleaf)

Welcome to Historic Whittier!

Beautiful Penn Park! Perfect for Family Gatherings and Wedding Photos!

One of the many access points to our beautiful Friendly Hills area.

Probably the most famous fountain in Whittier! "Whittier Welcomes You!"

(Colima & Mar Vista)

Whittwood Towncenter!

For a directory of all the stores and services go to:

http://www.whittwoodtowncenter.com/

I hope you enjoyed our little tour of Whittier! Stay tuned for more!

Thanks and have a wonderful day!!!

Stephanie

Your Local Real Estate Pro

http://www.serenefoundations.com/

Free Staging and skilled photography with your Listing!

I am sure you have all seen the dreadful "toilet shots" in some of the listings that can currently be seen on the MLS. I mean, seriously, who wants to see a photo of an open toilet???? If that is the best feature your home has, then good luck ... :-)

Over 80% of buyers first go online to start their home search - and get this, they spend an average of only 15 seconds looking at a listing! What does that mean? If your house does not look appealing online (bad photos, lots of clutter, too dark, etc.) they will click on a botton and move on to the next one!

Chances are, if your home is not properly represented online, buyers won't even bother making an appointment to see your home. And if they do, they come to your house with the mindset of "getting a bargain" because your home appears to be in bad shape - and that means low ball offer for you!

All of this can be easily avoided! Just like we detail our cars when we are trying to sell them, a house should receive the same, actually a lot more, care - we are talking about a "product" worth several hundreds of thousands of dollars here. And that's where most sellers go wrong - they love their home, understandably, and automatically assume that potential buyers will love "the sellers' way of life" as well. What happens is that buyers get so distracted by everything we accumulate and get used to over the years, that they can't really see the house for all the stuff!

I personally don't list any property without "staging" it first. And please don't misunderstand the term "staging" - I don't mean "hiding defects" or "making things look prettier than they are". Staging to me means paying respect to the buyer by offering him a clear and unobstructed view of a HIGH VALUE COMMODITY. And a buyer can tell the difference and will appreciate it, a house that shows off all its benefits, is clean, uncluttered and well maintained, will definitely stand out in his/her mind.

Just to give you an example, which one would you rather look at:

or

And I think the answer to "which one would you pay more for" is pretty obvious too ... Studies show that the majority of buyers are inclined to pay more for a home that is move-in ready.

So, if you are serious about selling your home, feel free to contact me so that I can give your home the WOW-EFFECT. And here is the best part - Staging for occupied properties is FREE when you list your home for sale with me.

For more details and to see my work, please go to http://www.serenefoundations.com/

I hope you enjoyed my blog! Have a wonderful day!!!

Sincerely,

Stephanie Frymyer

Your Local RE Specialist