Water Conservation in Times of Drought

2/6/2014 The pending drought is of concern to all, and while no mandatory water restrictions are currently in place in San Carlos, all California citizens have been asked to voluntarily reduce water use by 20%. In an effort to assist the community in achieving this goal, provided below are links to resources available to help residents use water wisely and efficiently. https://www.calwater.com/conservation/ http://www.saveourh2o.org/ http://planetsave.com/2009/03/20/10-simple-ways-to-conserve-water/

Visiting Open Homes

An open house can be an opportunity for you to get information about homes and the housing market. Open houses are a common real estate practice because they give an agent the opportunity to market the home and to meet prospective buyers.
Here are some questions you may want to ask:

• Are you the listing agent for this house? Busy agents sometimes arrange for a colleague or assistant to conduct the open house. Don’t assume the person showing the home is knowledgeable about the house or has met the sellers.
• How long has the home been on the market? Well-priced homes in good condition generally sell in a short period of time. Unless the local market is weak, you will want to know why a particular home is not selling. Are there hidden defects? Is it overpriced? Are the sellers requiring something that may seem unreasonable as a condition of the sale?
• Have the sellers received any offers? If the sellers rejected offers that were too low or had contingencies or conditions, you should find out before you experience the same.
• Is any furniture or fixturing being sold with the house? If you’re thinking of buying the home, there is no better time to ask whether the seller would be interested in including the patio furniture or the dining room chandelier.
• Are there any special costs attached to the property? Is there a homeowner’s association that has dues or fees? Are there particular tax assessments? Are there any natural hazard issues to be aware of? Are there any hidden costs of owning the home?
• How does this house compare to others on this street? The local agent may be able to speak about recent sales in the neighborhood as well as some interior ideas seen in other homes. 

http://clarketeam.com/WebArticle.aspx?ID=15596&webPageID=15&webCategoryContentID=69

Builders Hike Their Prices

Daily Real Estate News | Wednesday, January 22, 2014 More builders are reporting they’re raising their prices on new homes. Twenty-four percent of 231 builders recently surveyed say they raised their prices in December, which is an increase over a 19 percent low reported in November, according to John Burns Real Estate Consulting Inc. data. The percentage of builders who say they lowered their prices fell to 8 percent in December, after a 12 percent high in October. “The pricing environment notably improved,” Jody Kahn, a senior vice president at Burns, told The Wall Street Journal. “It’s still not back to where we were earlier in [2013] with builders raising prices aggressively.” In early 2013, more than half of the builders surveyed had reported raising their prices, with some markets, such as California and Arizona, even posting double-digit increases from 2012 levels. But prices curtailed during a slowdown in the summer months as interest rates rose. Lately, however, interest rates have mostly remained flat — around 4.4 percent to 4.5 percent averages — and improving employment numbers have builders feeling more confident again. Average new-home prices reached an all-time high of $340,300 in November, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Michael Gapen, senior U.S. economist at Barclays, predicts that home prices will rise 7 to 8 percent this year adding to last year’s gains of 11 to 12 percent. Buyers “know that builders tend to make price increases at the first of the year,” says Gene Swang, a division president for David Weekley Homes. “I think customers are concerned that if they didn’t get a home under contract [in December], they’d see higher prices in another month.” Source: “Santa’s Gift to Builders: Higher Home Prices,” The Wall Street Journal (Jan. 21, 2014)