The Home Buying & Selling Insider

Simi Valley Real Estate Home price increases and inflation

Click on the chart to see the large version

The 4th of July Celebrations in Simi Valley and Moorpark happen at different times and days.

Moorpark starts off with a July 3rd celebration. Moorpark’s 4th of July event is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. and the fireworks show to start at 9 p.m., at Arroyo Vista Community Park, 4550 Tierra Rejada Road. Come enjoy the fun with Live bands and family games. Admission is $3 per person. Children 4 and under are free. For more information, call (805) 517-6300.

Simi Valley on Friday July Fourth Free Admission!! Sponsored by the Rotary Club.

Kids Fun Zone - Food & Crafts Booths

Location: Rancho Santa Susana Park 5005 Los Angeles Ave., Simi Valley, CA 93063

Gates Open at 3:00 p.m.
3:30 – 4:00 p.m. Simi Valley Police Department — K-9 Demonstration
4:00 – 4:30 p.m. Puma Karate Demonstration
4:30 – 5:00 p.m. Polynesian Dance Group (music and dance)
5:00 – 9:00 p.m. The Platinum Groove
8:45 – 9:15 p.m. Patriotic Music and Flag Salute
9:20pm: Spectacular Fireworks Show!!!

Bring a blanket, or chairs. Dance, and enjoy the evening.

That’s right, you need to be handsfree in California while driving your car if you are using a cell phone. If you car is not Bluetooth ready, then you need to get a device. There is either the ear-bud style or a speaker phone style. For ear buds I see the Jawbone and the Motorola H680 as to very popular models in the Real Estate industry.

There are also speaker style devices for those who do not want to look like Lt Uhura from Star Trek.  These speaker phone style devices are small, compact and clip to your visor.  If you want privacy when others are in the car you will need an earbud style device so choose carefully as a good quality handsfree device is not cheap.

For those who are under the age of 18, Cell phone use while driving is prohibited and the use of hand free devices is no exception. 

Creating better exposure for homes in rural areas.  This home in the Santa Susana Mountains gets the first crack at a new idea. Custom Yard signs maybe the ticket for better exposure. The primary source to search for new homes by buyers is the internet; the second source is driving neighborhoods. Custom signs that feature your property and not your agent will stop cars and turn heads.

Simi Valley Real Estate Custom Sign Creates more Exposure for Sellers from Ted Mackel on Vimeo.

My blog has been sparse on purpose. I am in Maui for the first time. Unfortunately I have to work will on this trip, but being a Realtor 2.0 or maybe 3.0 I was able to handle the work load through email, text, my cell phone and laptop. Winforms with Docusign enabled me to get an escrow open this week while away from the office and the fact that I have full Acrobat, I was able to make things run smoothly.

Outside the 3 hour time lag from the west coast everything else seems to be just fine.  My Thumbs down picture is reaction in dealing with one of the local Simi Valley Real Estate companies.  The owner of said company has seen fit to block all incoming emails from Keller Williams agents.  Said Broker is scared to death that the big bad Keller Williams wolf is going Huff & Puff and blow his house down.  How that relates to my trip is that it makes it very difficult to open escrows and transfer docs that need to be signed.  Compound that with an agent that still has an AOL email for a secondary email address and you get my big Thumbs Down!

After surviving the road to Hana and exploring the seven pool, we decided the next day to lay low and be read for the incredible Kupanaha Maui Magic Show at the Kaanapali Beach Hotel by World Class Magician Jody Baran & Family,  I am ready for tomorrow’s fishing trip dreaming of some coveted Ahi Tuna.  If you travel to Maui please make sure to contact Andrea Bedal (866) 888-6284 at www.mauis-best.com.  A few of the activities Andrea set us up with included Parasailing, Luau and the Magic Show at excellent prices. 

My kids are having a blast and It’s almost time to go home.  Night time is especially fun for the boys as they explore the Hotel grounds for toads and geckos.  Snorkeling today revealed the treasures of the reef just 150 yards off the beach.  We will round up Sunday with Surfing at Thousand Peaks.  Hopefully the kids will be worn out to sleep well on the Red-Eye!

Technorati Profile

Simi Valley & Moorpark   Market report January 1, 2008 through May 31, 2008 

30% of the homes in escrow are short-sales and 10% are Foreclosures

Single Family Detached Homes

Active Listings                                                     Simi Valley                              Moorpark

# Units                                                                          524                                          192

Average List Price                                                    $618,220                                 $855,239

Average Days Listed                                                     91                                            95

Pending Sales in Escrow

# Units                                                                          149                                           25

Average List Price                                                    $509,479                                 $612,740

Average Days on Market                                              71                                            81

Closed Sales

# Units                                                                          333                                           67

Average List Price                                                    $569,627                                 $680,060

Average Sold Price                                                  $543,436                                 $650,517

Average Days Listed                                                     88                                           108

Average Closed Sales per month                                 66.6                                         13.4

Unsold Inventory Index (in months)                             7.87                                        14.32

Condos, Town Homes - Attached Homes

Active Listings                                                     Simi Valley                              Moorpark

# Units                                                                          176                                           54

Average List Price                                                    $358,871                                 $331,296

Average Days Listed                                                     85                                            79

Pending Sales in Escrow

# Units                                                                           24                                             3

Average List Price                                                    $310,925                                 $364,103

Average Days on Market                                              53                                            67

Closed Sales

# Units                                                                           57                                            15

Average List Price                                                    $352,781                                 $336,240

Average Sold Price                                                  $381,625                                 $325,368

Average Days Listed                                                     88                                            82

Average Closed Sales per month                                 11.4                                           3

Unsold Inventory Index (in months)                            15.44                                         18

A question about what the average days on market for homes sold in Ojai California was posted on Trulia. This made me immediately think of how bad this number is in Ventura County. The Ventura County Regional Data share does not track Cumulative Days on Market and this is the number that needs to be reported to buyers and seller. Please watch my Video blog on the importance of how you look at these numbers.

Yes that is right, Simi Valley inventory has dropped, but before you go out into the streets and celebrate, let me explain the numbers a little more.

Single Family Detached homes inventory has dropped, Town homes and condos inventory has risen 13%.

Buyers are still very cautious and even though there has been some increased buying, it is still early to tell whether this market will begin to level off or continue as it has for the last 12 months. Most major financial news sources are still forecasting many more foreclosures to hit the market, but even if this is true, some sellers could have a big advantage if their home is in tip top condition, recently upgraded and staged to sell.

Many buyers out there do not want to take on the rehab and repair work required of most the bank owned properties. If you are one of these sellers, please keep in mind your home will be compared with new homes if you have an older home. The design styles and decorating taste of the new model homes will impact your home if your upgrades are not very recent.

Please view the chart in the blog post just before this one to get a better idea on closings since January 2006 and the rate at which new listings hit the market.

Inventory overall is decreasing in total units. Units closing per months picked up in April and May. Prices continued to decline but showed some signs of slowing. Foreclosures and short sales still impact the general emotional state of the market coupled with reports from the media on housing, inflation and unemployment. Excellent buying opportunities in Simi Valley have been acknowledged by multiple offers on the best value for the dollar.

The following charts show Simi Valley Closings by months for 2006, 2007 & 2008; separated by Detached and Attached (condos and Town homes). Click on each chart to see it in full size.

The following charts show Simi Valley New Listings by months for 2006, 2007 & 2008; separated by Detached and Attached (condos and Town homes). Click on each chart to see it in full size.

Still, 85% of the closings continue to be below $600,000 for the detached homes, this is where the activity is highest.