Homestead mailing list

["Lynda" <lurine AT softcom.net>]

Newspapers in the nearest "real" city (Redding, which is in *real* northern
CA) are all talking about the decline in new builds and the housing market
being "soft."  Interesting term to wrap one's mind around since houses are
obviously "hard." <g>

Around here, Nowheresville, or as the kidlets refer to it "you can't get
here from there," a year ago there were hundreds of listings in residential,
manufactured houses and lots & acreage categories of the local MLS.  Now
there are only 2 to 3 dozen in the manufactured and lots & acreage
categories and about a hundred in the residential.  Now, a few of these have
"reduced" in their ads but the majority simply change realtors and list with
a lower price.  I've noticed that those that are listing with the 3rd or 4th
realtor (and reducing each time) are the only ones with "Pending" in the
listings.

The property down the private road from us reduced their price from around
$200,000 to $124,000 (3rd realtor) before they found a buyer.  I think they
are lucky to have gotten that price because prices seem to be bottoming out
to about the going price of about 2 years ago and it wouldn't have hit
$100,000 then!

We moved up here because the LA-ites discovered the coast and starting in 
paying $300,000 for houses that had $98,000 price tags on them (bidding 
wars) and now local folks can't afford to live there anymore.

Say what you will about CA, at least I don't have to worry if my neighbors 
pay a million dollars for a house, my taxes don't go up due to reappraisal. 
What I paid is what it is, unless we vote in some additional tax which we 
did this year (fire district, $10 a year).

Lynda
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Lisa K.V. Perry" <lisakvperry AT gmail.com>


> If you guys are interested, I propose we take an informal survey of our
> list
> members (lurkers included) regarding the housing bubble in your neck of
> the
> woods.  It might be interesting, what do you say?