Orange County Sales August

Sixteen Different Gates Front Entrance

San Juan Capistrano blue gate

Laguna Beach brick entry

How much does a picket fence cost in Orange County?

AUGUST SALES MEDIAN PRICES 2013 ORANGE COUNTY CALIFORNIA

All homes		$560,000	25.8%	3,477	4.2%
Total resale houses		$625,000	20.7%	2,211	-1.7%
Total condominiums		$364,000	23.4%	965	0.1%
Total new homes		$707,000	28.3%	301	142.7%
Aliso Viejo	92656	$502,000	36.7%	95	-18.1%
Anaheim	92801	$395,000	17.6%	26	-13.3%
Anaheim	92802	$367,500	21.9%	19	-34.5%
Anaheim	92804	$410,000	20.6%	58	-12.1%
Anaheim	92805	$367,500	15.6%	40	8.1%
Anaheim	92806	$450,000	25.3%	27	-12.9%
Anaheim	92807	$517,500	28.7%	46	-11.5%
Anaheim	92808	$592,500	57.0%	40	-4.8%
Brea	92821	$646,250	26.1%	49	88.5%
Brea	92823	$735,000	25.6%	4	-20.0%
Buena Park	90620	$417,500	11.3%	41	20.6%
Buena Park	90621	$387,500	10.1%	23	-17.9%
Corona del Mar	92625	$1,950,000	28.8%	20	-33.3%
Costa Mesa	92626	$600,000	17.6%	36	-2.7%
Costa Mesa	92627	$590,000	29.7%	46	12.2%
Cypress	90630	$490,000	16.0%	49	2.1%
Dana Point	92624	$1,108,000	97.9%	5	-50.0%
Dana Point	92629	$750,000	19.3%	43	-30.6%
Foothill Ranch	92610	$403,000	1.4%	11	-50.0%
Fountain Valley	92708	$620,000	17.9%	65	35.4%
Fullerton	92831	$500,000	-2.9%	22	4.8%
Fullerton	92832	$420,000	37.7%	16	0.0%
Fullerton	92833	$470,000	23.7%	55	12.2%
Fullerton	92835	$580,000	8.4%	30	-14.3%
Garden Grove	92840	$350,000	17.6%	35	-35.2%
Garden Grove	92841	$450,500	43.0%	34	88.9%
Garden Grove	92843	$347,500	-1.6%	36	-7.7%
Garden Grove	92844	$345,000	-11.3%	11	-52.2%
Garden Grove	92845	$505,000	16.1%	14	-6.7%
Huntington Beach	92646	$660,500	54.9%	78	14.7%
Huntington Beach	92647	$573,500	14.7%	45	4.7%
Huntington Beach	92648	$700,000	21.7%	51	-7.3%
Huntington Beach	92649	$759,000	28.6%	53	6.0%
Irvine	92602	$673,250	15.1%	25	-7.4%
Irvine	92603	$1,002,500	3.9%	36	-2.7%
Irvine	92604	$642,000	18.9%	32	-13.5%
Irvine	92606	$685,000	15.1%	13	30.0%
Irvine	92612	$617,500	27.6%	42	-6.7%
Irvine	92614	$696,000	58.5%	20	-20.0%
Irvine	92618	$700,250	30.9%	71	54.3%
Irvine	92620	$660,000	18.2%	135	80.0%
Ladera Ranch	92694	$682,500	28.2%	62	0.0%
La Habra	90631	$394,000	23.1%	52	-18.8%
La Palma	90623	$600,000	11.5%	12	33.3%
Laguna Beach	92651	$1,550,000	13.1%	44	0.0%
Laguna Hills	92653	$605,000	30.0%	49	36.1%
Laguna Niguel	92677	$675,000	33.2%	98	-20.3%
Laguna Woods	92637	$240,000	-0.8%	54	25.6%
Lake Forest	92630	$485,000	14.1%	75	-7.4%
Los Alamitos	90720	$692,500	-4.2%	17	-15.0%
Midway City	92655	$437,500	16.7%	4	33.3%
Mission Viejo	92691	$530,000	20.9%	76	-11.6%
Mission Viejo	92692	$585,000	17.7%	88	2.3%
Newport Beach	92660	$1,395,000	14.3%	55	-21.4%
Newport Beach	92661	$1,680,000	12.9%	6	0.0%
Newport Beach	92662	$8,350,000	n/a	1	n/a
Newport Beach	92663	$1,049,500	-18.3%	28	-6.7%
Newport Coast	92657	$2,085,000	-14.1%	28	0.0%
Orange	92865	$460,000	15.0%	31	34.8%
Orange	92866	$518,500	-2.4%	12	0.0%
Orange	92867	$621,500	36.6%	45	18.4%
Orange	92868	$358,000	18.7%	10	-28.6%
Orange	92869	$570,000	20.0%	56	5.7%
Placentia	92870	$540,000	11.3%	66	24.5%
Rancho Santa Margarita	92688	$444,500	12.1%	89	0.0%
San Clemente	92672	$599,000	1.6%	45	-8.2%
San Clemente	92673	$815,000	16.9%	53	39.5%
San Juan Capistrano	92675	$674,500	43.5%	52	6.1%
Santa Ana	92701	$304,000	36.9%	30	0.0%
Santa Ana	92703	$307,500	7.9%	21	-12.5%
Santa Ana	92704	$359,000	33.5%	50	-9.1%
Santa Ana	92705	$738,000	28.9%	48	2.1%
Santa Ana	92706	$497,500	28.7%	29	-14.7%
Santa Ana	92707	$299,500	1.5%	34	-5.6%
Seal Beach	90740	$739,000	20.7%	31	121.4%
Stanton	90680	$320,000	12.3%	23	-14.8%
Trabuco/Coto	92679	$792,000	21.5%	61	-7.6%
Tustin	92780	$500,000	38.5%	45	7.1%
Tustin	92782	$690,000	46.8%	31	-54.4%
Villa Park	92861	$1,300,000	18.2%	7	-53.3%
Westminster	92683	$500,000	25.9%	52	-14.8%
Yorba Linda	92886	$725,000	22.9%	88	15.8%
Yorba Linda	92887	$645,500	-2.3%	39	116.7%

 

Beach Cottage Gold

Fireplace without mantle Laguna Beach design

 Gilt antique mirror (note myself with iphone in reflection) with white Carrera marble surround on fireplace and no mantle. The bookcase holds red bound books and nick knacks. The room is small and adding a large mantle, though tempting the owners restrained... Woodwork all painted gloss white.

red enamel secretary

 1960's secretary painted  in fire engine gloss red with chair in same color. Charming monkey see lamp with red shade and gilt mirror with antique painting. Walls painted Pratt and Lambert's Argent a pebble warm grey with white gloss trim.

marble fireplace

Fireplace mantle also in small living room. Gilt gold frame with California landscape seems to open like a window might above the fireplace. The pair of gold orchids (dancing lady) are formal but also fanciful. In reality putting a fine oil painting above your fireplace may not be a great idea. Smoke and heat it you happen to have a big crackling fire would damage the painting. Slipcovered chairs tie in an English but not cluttered look

bird art

This outdoor arrangement in a Laguna Beach cottage is charming. Tin plaques of bird prints are hung in rows with pots below in same slate hue.

Faux brick wall with industrial recycled drop lamps give a modern loft feeling to this Rancho Mission Viejo model. The combination of light works nicely.

birds on shower curtain

This sweet shower curtain with specs of gold in a tiny bath is charming. Just a few ideas to make your cottage sing.

High Balance Mortgages Going going gone



A plan to lower the cap on federally backed mortgages may hit home buyers particularly hard in several pockets of the country. Here in California especially Orange County (my home town)  high cost mortgages are the norm, home buyers might be squeezed out because our government wants to get out of funding the

 

$ 417000 – to $625500 loan amounts. High balance mortgages will go away?

 

The Federal Housing Finance Agency plans to reduce the maximum size of mortgages backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac this January 2014. The current limits are $417,000 in most parts of the country and up to $625,500 in more expensive markets. The agency hasn't announced how much it will lower loan caps, but data compiled for Market Watch by Lender Processing Services, a mortgage-data tracking firm, shows that a decline of just $25,000 from the current caps would impact hundreds of thousands of home buyers in middle-priced and upper-middle-priced housing markets — areas that are relatively upscale but far from the most expensive.

 

        In total, more than 214,000 of the agency-backed mortgages originated last year were within $25,000 of the current caps, according to LPS. For the first six months of this year, the number was just over 95,000. By one measure, they’re most in demand in Cook County, Ill., where 10,510 mortgages originated in 2012 and 4,137 during the first six months of this year were within $25,000 of current cap levels — the highest number in any county nationwide, according to LPS. In contrast, Manhattan, which has some of the most expensive real estate in the country, had just 1,187 and 460 of such large loans, respectively, for each time frame.

 

   Nationally, these loans have accounted for less than 3% of all Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgages given to borrowers during this time, though the share is much higher in some regions. In Colorado, North Carolina and South Carolina as well as in the District of Columbia, they account for more than 5% of agency mortgages that borrowers signed up for last year. They had over a 10% share in three Colorado counties, Boulder, Denver and Gunnison, during the first half of this year.

 

A greater number of borrowers could be impacted if mortgage caps drop by a larger amount. Housing experts say a $25,000 drop is likely conservative, and if the real cut is bigger, more borrowers will be left with fewer mortgage options going forward.

There is an attitude of “let them eat cake.” In areas where the median priced home is $ 200000. Americans might feel that our government should not be spending tax dollars on helping luxury home buyers. The problem with this logic is for example in most of Orange County California there are little to no single family homes available for $500000. Putting a ceiling on all government funded loans at $417000 is going to squeeze entry level homeowners out of areas where there are high paying jobs.

 

Next year our industry will be hit with the Qualified Mortgage requirements (which means fewer borrowers will qualify) layered with lower loan limits and higher borrowing costs. Not great news for buyers and sellers, especially in Southern Californian where housing costs are among the highest in the nation. Right now may be the best time to sell or buy a home. You can always count on that next year things may be different.

 

 

Watermelon mint grapefruit salad



 As summer comes to an end- a simple fast dinner salad. Purchase  one of those smaller watermelons, since we are going on a smaller size in general... A pink grapefruit, small red onion, and fresh mint (come on over it grows like a weed in my garden). Slice thin. You can drizzle your favorite savory dressing or just a splash of vinegar and oil, salt and pepper.

Orange County California Gardens

Rustic Table reclaimed from the trash- sanded and added blue pots to match with white azalea and hydrangea, below white jasmine

Our climate in Orange County California is mild enough for most herbs, perennials, flowers and vegetables to survive with drip  irrigation and no chemicals. I don't use any pesticides or fertilizers and get excellent results.

Pots on the wall have Mexican sage, below are: oregano, thyme, a variety of salvias, echinacea  (purple coneflower) chamomile on the right to name a few. Mixing the plants allows for flowering at staggered times and is healthier for the plants.

 Climbing beans and squash in rear of herbs

Your morning café au lait is ready. This café table is lovely.

This Laguna Beach garden might look funky to some but the row of terracotta pots and bunnies standing guard are charming.

 

Tea cups ( really giant pots ) with pansies, geranium and impatiens. Impatiens are the easiest color to grow in partial shade. I am constantly picking smashing and fighting snails and slugs but they don't eat impatiens.