Luke Chandler Blog

Declining interest rates bolster February home sales and price pre-COVID-19 outbreak, C.A.R. reports

Fri, 20 Mar 2020 14:28:00 EST

Declining interest rates bolster February home sales and price pre-COVID-19 outbreak, C.A.R. reports

- Existing, single-family home sales totaled 421,670 in February on a seasonally adjusted annualized rate, up 6.6 percent from January and up 5.9 percent from February 2019.

- February's statewide median home price was $579,770, down 0.8 percent from January and up 8.5 percent from February 2019.

- The statewide Unsold Inventory Index was 3.6 months in February, up from 3.4 months in January but down from 4.6 months in February 2019.

LOS ANGELES (March 20) – Before the coronavirus outbreak hit the state so severely, California's housing market was getting a strong foothold, with home sales and prices posting healthy increases in February, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS^® (C.A.R.) said today.

Closed escrow sales of existing, single-family detached homes in California totaled a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 421,670 units in February, according to information collected by C.A.R. from more than 90 local REALTOR^®associations and MLSs statewide. The statewide annualized sales figure represents what would be the total number of homes sold during 2020 if sales maintained the February pace throughout the year. It is adjusted to account for seasonal factors that typically influence home sales.

February's sales total was up 6.6 percent from the 395,700 level in January, marking the first time in three months that sales jumped above the 400,000 benchmark. February also marked the eighth consecutive month of year-over-year sales increases. The robust sales gain observed in the last few months may not be sustained as the recent financial market turmoil triggered by the coronavirus outbreak will likely have a negative impact on home sales in the coming months.

"As the coronavirus pandemic worsens, the housing market is expected to decline precipitously in the coming months, particularly in counties and cities with a "shelter in place" mandate, where open houses and home showings cannot be held," said 2020 C.A.R. President Jeanne Radsick, a second-generation REALTOR^® from Bakersfield, Calif. "Additionally, sales in escrow may be delayed by the closure or limited availability of all the essential services related to a home sale, such as financing, title, escrow, recording or by buyers who may have backed out of a purchase due to coronavirus concerns."

A C.A.R. flash poll conducted between March 14-16 found that more than half (54 percent) of REALTORS® had clients who backed out from buying a home because of the coronavirus, and less than one-half (45 percent) had clients who backed out from selling a property.

The median price inched up 0.8 percent from January's revised $575,160 to $579,770 in February. The median price climbed 8.5 percent from $534,120 in February 2019. February marked the third straight month with a year-over-year gain of more than 7 percent, fueled by low interest rates.

"The economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic are becoming more pronounced as uncertainty continues in the financial markets, consumer spending declines and unemployment insurance claims rise—all factors that impact the housing market," said C.A.R. Senior Vice President and Chief Economist Leslie Appleton-Young. "The housing market condition is expected to deteriorate accordingly in the near term, with both sales and prices being downgraded from our original 2020 housing forecast in the coming months."

Other key points from C.A.R.'s February 2020 resale housing report include:

At the regional level, non-seasonally adjusted sales rose from last year in all major regions, except the Bay Area. Southern California increased the most with 12.5 percent, followed by Central Coast (7.6 percent) and Central Valley (2.3 percent). Thirty-two of the 51 counties tracked by C.A.R. experienced year-over-year growth, with Siskiyou gaining the most from last year at 100.0 percent. Tehama had the biggest drop, with sales falling 40.5 percent on a year-over-year basis.
Median prices in all regions increased in February from last year, with Central Coast up the most at 10.0 percent, followed by Southern California (8.4 percent), Central Valley (6.3 percent), and the Bay Area (5.0 percent).
Forty-one of the 51 counties tracked by C.A.R. reported a year-over-year gain in price in February, with Plumas gaining the most at 24.4 percent from last year. Of the 10 counties that experienced a price drop from last February, Mariposa had the biggest decline of 11.2 percent.
California housing supply continued to increase in February from the prior month as the market geared up for the spring home-buying season, with the number of active listings inched up by 0.9 percent from January. The month-to-month increase is on par with the average January to February increase of 0.8 percent recorded between 2008 and 2019. On a year-over-year basis, however, active listings continued to drop by more than 25 percent for the third consecutive month. Since September of last year, the number of active listings decreased an average of 21.8 percent from the prior year.
The sizable drop in active listings, together with the increase in sales, continued to put downward pressure on the Unsold Inventory Index (UII), resulting in a drop in the index to 3.6 months, down from 4.6 months a year ago.

With new coronavirus cases continuing to spread across the nation and a declaration of a national emergency, many potential sellers will likely delay putting their homes on the market, which may lead to fewer new listings. On the other hand, if homebuyers postpone their plans to enter the market due to their dimmer financial outlook, a sharp sales decline will result in an increase in unsold inventory in the short term.

The median number of days it took to sell a California single-family home fell significantly from a year ago, declining from 33 days in February 2019 to 23 days in February 2020.
C.A.R.'s statewide sales-price-to-list-price ratio* was 99.1 percent in February 2020, up from 98.0 in February 2019.
The statewide average price per square foot** for an existing single-family home was $283 in February 2020 and $271 in February 2019.
The 30-year, fixed-mortgage interest rate averaged 3.47 percent in February, down from 4.37 percent in February 2019, according to Freddie Mac. The five-year, adjustable mortgage interest rate was an average of 3.26 percent, compared to 3.87 percent in February 2019.

Note: The County MLS median price and sales data in the tables are generated from a survey of more than 90 associations of REALTORS^® throughout the state and represent statistics of existing single-family detached homes only. County sales data are not adjusted to account for seasonal factors that can influence home sales. Movements in sales prices should not be interpreted as changes in the cost of a standard home. The median price is where half sold for more and half sold for less; medians are more typical than average prices, which are skewed by a relatively small share of transactions at either the lower end or the upper end. Median prices can be influenced by changes in cost, as well as changes in the characteristics and the size of homes sold. The change in median prices should not be construed as actual price changes in specific homes.

*Sales-to-list-price ratio is an indicator that reflects the negotiation power of home buyers and home sellers under current market conditions. The ratio is calculated by dividing the final sales price of a property by its last list price and is expressed as a percentage. A sales-to-list ratio with 100 percent or above suggests that the property sold for more than the list price, and a ratio below 100 percent indicates that the price sold below the asking price.

**Price per square foot is a measure commonly used by real estate agents and brokers to determine how much a square foot of space a buyer will pay for a property. It is calculated as the sale price of the home divided by the number of finished square feet. C.A.R. currently tracks price-per-square foot statistics for 50 counties.

Leading the way…® in California real estate for more than 110 years, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (www.car.org) is one of the largest state trade organizations in the United States with more than 200,000 members dedicated to the advancement of professionalism in real estate. C.A.R. is headquartered in Los Angeles.

# # #

February 2020 County Sales and Price Activity
(Regional and condo sales data not seasonally adjusted)

February 2020	Median Sold Price of Existing Single-Family Homes						Sales
State/Region/County	Feb. 2020	Jan. 2020	Feb. 2019		Price MTM% Chg	Price YTY% Chg	Sales MTM% Chg	Sales YTY% Chg
Calif. Single-family homes	$579,770	$575,160	$534,120	r	0.8%	8.5%	6.6%	5.9%
Calif. Condo/Townhomes	$480,000	$467,000	$450,000		2.8%	6.7%	13.7%	14.3%
Los Angeles Metro Area	$550,000	$538,500	$505,000		2.1%	8.9%	-0.9%	13.7%
Central Coast	$715,000	$700,000	$650,000		2.1%	10.0%	0.0%	7.6%
Central Valley	$340,000	$337,500	$320,000		0.7%	6.3%	0.8%	2.3%
Inland Empire	$395,000	$385,000	$369,900		2.6%	6.8%	1.2%	10.7%
San Francisco Bay Area	$910,000	$853,000	$867,000		6.7%	5.0%	8.9%	-1.3%

San Francisco Bay Area
Alameda	$945,000	$875,000	$860,000		8.0%	9.9%	1.4%	-15.9%
Contra Costa	$635,250	$614,000	$649,480		3.5%	-2.2%	4.2%	8.8%
Marin	$1,347,500	$1,294,000	$1,290,000		4.1%	4.5%	6.2%	-18.1%
Napa	$659,500	$697,500	$625,000		-5.4%	5.5%	-32.3%	-37.3%
San Francisco	$1,610,000	$1,460,000	$1,505,000		10.3%	7.0%	19.4%	0.9%
San Mateo	$1,575,000	$1,422,250	$1,425,000		10.7%	10.5%	23.0%	2.8%
Santa Clara	$1,350,000	$1,200,000	$1,170,000		12.5%	15.4%	16.7%	-1.6%
Solano	$470,000	$449,900	$425,000		4.5%	10.6%	9.6%	9.2%
Sonoma	$640,000	$667,000	$625,420		-4.0%	2.3%	15.3%	12.7%
Southern California
Los Angeles	$580,690	$617,520	$541,390		-6.0%	7.3%	-8.6%	9.3%
Orange	$880,000	$855,000	$792,500		2.9%	11.0%	11.5%	34.7%
Riverside	$428,000	$415,460	$410,000		3.0%	4.4%	4.2%	11.3%
San Bernardino	$329,000	$325,000	$298,250		1.2%	10.3%	-3.8%	9.6%
San Diego	$670,000	$660,000	$625,000		1.5%	7.2%	3.4%	7.2%
Ventura	$649,500	$660,000	$620,000		-1.6%	4.8%	3.9%	6.8%
Central Coast
Monterey	$700,000	$649,500	$593,950		7.8%	17.9%	2.1%	-0.7%
San Luis Obispo	$640,000	$652,500	$592,500		-1.9%	8.0%	26.9%	22.2%
Santa Barbara	$772,750	$675,000	$645,000		14.5%	19.8%	-17.8%	1.9%
Santa Cruz	$897,500	$869,500	$927,000		3.2%	-3.2%	-10.0%	4.7%
Central Valley
Fresno	$289,950	$289,950	$265,000		0.0%	9.4%	-3.5%	14.5%
Glenn	$288,250	$315,000	$281,000		-8.5%	2.6%	-40.0%	-29.4%
Kern	$259,000	$252,000	$240,000		2.8%	7.9%	0.3%	10.0%
Kings	$255,000	$247,450	$221,000		3.1%	15.4%	-9.0%	0.0%
Madera	$285,000	$334,790	$259,000		-14.9%	10.0%	28.4%	0.0%
Merced	$285,950	$282,950	$269,000		1.1%	6.3%	5.5%	26.4%
Placer	$509,000	$493,000	$495,000		3.2%	2.8%	-5.6%	-15.7%
Sacramento	$398,500	$379,000	$360,000		5.1%	10.7%	6.4%	0.2%
San Benito	$595,000	$575,020	$600,000		3.5%	-0.8%	-21.9%	-19.4%
San Joaquin	$390,000	$385,000	$370,000		1.3%	5.4%	-7.5%	5.2%
Stanislaus	$339,000	$330,000	$310,000		2.7%	9.4%	8.4%	0.0%
Tulare	$252,000	$240,000	$243,500		5.0%	3.5%	-1.8%	2.3%
Other Calif. Counties
Amador	$328,000	$335,000	$316,000	r	-2.1%	3.8%	0.0%	36.7%
Butte	$338,750	$355,860	$345,450		-4.8%	-1.9%	-10.6%	-40.4%
Calaveras	$355,000	$343,500	$340,000		3.3%	4.4%	40.4%	-18.9%
Del Norte	$297,000	$227,000	$245,000		30.8%	21.2%	-33.3%	9.1%
El Dorado	$465,000	$442,120	$495,000		5.2%	-6.1%	16.3%	74.0%
Humboldt	$310,390	$308,000	$298,000		0.8%	4.2%	-3.3%	12.8%
Lake	$235,000	$253,000	$260,000		-7.1%	-9.6%	46.7%	11.9%
Lassen	$199,000	$239,000	$185,000		-16.7%	7.6%	-35.3%	-38.9%
Mariposa	$327,500	$266,000	$369,000		23.1%	-11.2%	38.5%	38.5%
Mendocino	$467,000	$412,000	$377,000		13.3%	23.9%	-14.7%	0.0%
Mono	$700,000	$780,000	$765,000		-10.3%	-8.5%	36.4%	36.4%
Nevada	$420,000	$367,000	$382,000		14.4%	9.9%	1.3%	1.3%
Plumas	$321,500	$330,000	$258,500		-2.6%	24.4%	46.7%	-8.3%
Shasta	$291,500	$282,500	$285,000		3.2%	2.3%	-18.6%	-8.6%
Siskiyou	$219,000	$255,000	$224,500		-14.1%	-2.4%	-10.0%	100.0%
Sutter	$318,500	$327,250	$292,500		-2.7%	8.9%	-6.7%	-3.4%
Tehama	$265,000	$260,000	$224,500		1.9%	18.0%	0.0%	-40.5%
Tuolumne	$297,500	$309,000	$299,000		-3.7%	-0.5%	13.8%	78.4%
Yolo	$447,500	$431,240	$424,920		3.8%	5.3%	4.5%	5.7%
Yuba	$315,000	$315,000	$256,000		0.0%	23.0%	11.9%	24.5%

r = revised

NA = not available

February 2020 County Unsold Inventory and Days on Market
(Regional and condo sales data not seasonally adjusted)

February 2020	Unsold Inventory Index			Median Time on Market
State/Region/County	Feb. 2020	Jan. 2020	Feb. 2019	Feb. 2020	Jan. 2020	Feb. 2019
Calif. Single-family homes	3.6	3.4	4.6	23.0	31.0	33.0
Calif. Condo/Townhomes	3.0	3.3	4.1	21.0	31.0	28.0
Los Angeles Metro Area	3.8	3.6	5.5	29.0	32.0	42.0
Central Coast	4.8	4.4	5.5	31.0	44.0	49.0
Central Valley	3.1	3.0	3.8	18.5	24.0	29.0
Inland Empire	4.1	4.1	5.5	41.0	41.0	48.0
San Francisco Bay Area	3.0	2.7	3.3	14.0	31.0	20.0

San Francisco Bay Area
Alameda	2.5	2.0	2.7	12.0	20.0	15.0
Contra Costa	2.7	2.3	3.5	12.0	27.0	15.0
Marin	4.3	3.3	3.7	42.5	63.0	49.0
Napa	9.6	5.0	5.8	39.0	62.0	49.0
San Francisco	3.0	2.7	2.8	15.0	26.0	15.0
San Mateo	2.6	2.7	2.9	11.0	21.0	13.0
Santa Clara	2.7	2.3	3.1	8.0	19.0	12.0
Solano	3.0	3.0	3.8	39.0	39.0	43.5
Sonoma	4.4	4.4	4.2	51.5	68.0	65.0
Southern California
Los Angeles	3.6	3.2	5.1	22.0	26.0	35.0
Orange	3.4	3.4	5.9	17.0	27.0	42.0
Riverside	4.1	4.2	5.6	39.0	39.0	45.0
San Bernardino	4.1	3.9	5.4	45.0	43.0	56.0
San Diego	3.0	3.0	4.3	12.0	23.0	22.0
Ventura	5.1	4.8	6.7	49.0	56.0	59.0
Central Coast
Monterey	5.1	4.9	5.6	28.0	39.0	51.0
San Luis Obispo	4.8	5.9	6.0	37.5	46.0	42.0
Santa Barbara	4.8	3.7	5.5	28.5	35.0	49.0
Santa Cruz	4.1	2.8	4.1	26.5	55.5	55.5
Central Valley
Fresno	3.5	3.4	4.9	26.0	25.5	24.0
Glenn	5.3	3.0	4.5	75.5	63.0	11.0
Kern	3.2	3.0	4.0	22.0	21.0	31.0
Kings	3.2	3.1	4.1	17.0	25.0	29.0
Madera	4.9	5.8	4.9	40.0	45.0	51.5
Merced	3.3	3.6	5.3	32.0	28.0	44.0
Placer	3.4	2.8	3.2	16.0	34.0	28.5
Sacramento	2.3	2.4	2.8	10.0	17.0	27.0
San Benito	6.5	4.0	5.3	55.0	29.5	24.0
San Joaquin	3.2	2.8	3.9	26.5	32.0	31.0
Stanislaus	2.6	2.8	3.4	17.0	24.0	33.0
Tulare	4.1	3.8	5.0	21.0	27.0	34.5
Other Calif. Counties
Amador	7.8	6.6	NA	49.0	40.0	58.0	r
Butte	3.0	2.7	2.0	24.5	25.5	8.0
Calaveras	5.7	7.4	4.3	108.0	107.5	51.0
Del Norte	11.8	7.3	11.5	168.0	121.0	111.0
El Dorado	4.5	4.7	5.5	44.0	65.5	42.0
Humboldt	4.5	4.4	6.6	38.5	40.0	34.0
Lake	6.1	8.4	6.6	61.5	77.0	76.0
Lassen	10.7	6.6	6.2	133.0	133.0	114.0
Mariposa	5.4	7.3	6.8	107.0	88.0	36.0
Mendocino	10.3	9.0	12.6	102.0	109.0	83.0
Mono	5.8	8.7	6.5	119.0	126.0	198.0
Nevada	6.4	5.7	5.4	42.0	62.5	50.5
Plumas	9.6	13.5	9.2	191.0	106.0	143.0
Shasta	4.8	3.8	4.7	50.0	43.0	34.0
Siskiyou	6.5	5.5	13.7	89.0	48.5	76.0
Sutter	2.6	2.5	2.3	26.5	31.0	39.5
Tehama	9.0	8.0	4.0	81.0	52.0	56.0
Tuolumne	5.6	6.2	7.9	85.0	71.5	97.0
Yolo	3.4	3.2	3.6	17.5	40.5	22.0
Yuba	3.5	3.6	3.7	23.0	30.0	39.0

r = revised

NA = not available

BUY CALIFORNIA ORGANIC AVOCADOS

Fri, 20 Mar 2020 14:25:00 EST

VISIT WWW.AVOCADOMONTHLY.COM

YOU ARE ABLE TO ORDER TABLE TO FARM CALIFORNIA ORGANIC AVOCADOS

More California REALTORS® expect COVID-19 to impact housing market,C.A.R. flash survey finds

Fri, 20 Mar 2020 14:21:00 EST

More California REALTORS^® expect COVID-19 to impact housing market,
C.A.R. flash survey finds

LOS ANGELES (March 19) – As the coronavirus pandemic continues to worsen, a growing number of California REALTORS^® this week expect the pandemic to negatively impact their business, primarily with open house traffic, where 85 percent expect a negative impact in that area of their business, according to a flash poll conducted by the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS^® (C.A.R.).

(Note: the survey was conducted March 14-16, prior to the "shelter in place" and the closing of non-essential businesses announcement in six Bay Area counties and Sonoma County and before Los Angeles' mayor issued temporary restrictions to slow the spread of the coronavirus.)

Highlights of the poll:

More than three-fourths (78 percent) of California REALTORS^® expect there will be a negative impact on home sales, up from 53 percent last week.
Nearly three in four (74 percent) said they expect time on market will be negatively impacted, up from 51 percent last week.
Seventy-four percent of California REALTORS^® said home sales will be negatively affected, up from 53 percent last week.
Other areas that REALTORS^® said would be negatively impacted were housing inventory (62 percent), price (58 percent), closing (52 percent), time in escrow (45 percent) and market competition (41 percent).
Seventy-five percent said they have not been doing more virtual tours. (This question was not asked in Week 1.)
More than a half of REALTORS^® (54 percent) had clients who backed out from a home purchase because of the coronavirus and less than one-half (45 percent) had clients who backed out from a home sale. (This question was not asked in Week 1.)
The vast majority of REALTORS^® have not had sellers who wanted to take their home off the market due to coronavirus concerns. (This question was not asked in Week 1.)
Two-thirds of REALTORS^® had clients asking them coronavirus market-related questions, up from 40 percent last week.

The survey was conducted March 14-16 via email, asking members how the coronavirus outbreak was affecting their business. Nearly 1,100 responses were received.

Leading the way…^® in California real estate for more than 110 years, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS^®(www.car.org) is one of the largest state trade organizations in the United States with more than 200,000 members dedicated to the advancement of professionalism in real estate. C.A.R. is headquartered in Los Angeles.

Butternut Squash Avocado Muffins

Tue, 18 Feb 2020 14:17:00 EST

Butternut Squash Avocado Muffins

(1) Read Comments | Rate it

TOTAL TIME:

60 min

PREP TIME:

35 min

COOK TIME:

25 min

170CALORIES

7 gFAT

4 gFIBER

290 mgSODIUM

24 gCARBS

PRINT RECIPE

These savory muffins combine the natural sweetness of butternut squash, the rich texture of a California avocado and the subtle flavor of coconut. Enjoy this muffin for breakfast alongside a dollop of cottage cheese or serve with steamy bowl of soup. A recipe variation adds chocolate chips to create delicious dessert muffins. These muffins are an excellent source of vitamin A (25% DV)and vitamin E (20% DV).

INGREDIENTS

Serves: 12

12	paper muffin cups, optional
As needed	cooking spray
1 lb.	fresh butternut squash, peeled and cubed, (or 1 cup canned pureed butternut squash)
1 cup	whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup	almond flour
1 1/2 tsp.	baking powder
1 tsp.	baking soda
1/2 tsp.	salt
1 tsp.	ground cinnamon
1/4 cup	granulated sugar
2	eggs
1/2	ripe, Fresh California Avocado, seeded, peeled and mashed (about ¼ cup)
1/4 cup	plain Greek yogurt
1 tsp.	pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup	almond milk
1/3 cup	sliced almonds
1/2 cup	chocolate chips, optional

As with all fruits and vegetables, wash avocados before cutting.
Check out our tips for how to choose and use California Avocados.

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare muffin tin with paper muffin cups - spray each cup with cooking spray. Set aside.
Cut butternut squash into cubes (around 1-inch square each) and bake on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees F for around 30 minutes or until fork tender. Cool, puree squash in food processor or use 1 cup of canned pureed butternut squash and set aside.
Spoon flours into dry measuring cups and level with a knife.
Whisk together baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
Combine sugar, eggs, avocado, yogurt and vanilla in a large bowl and beat with a hand mixer until well combined.
Add almond milk and pureed butternut squash, beating at a low speed until blended together.
Add flour mixture to above mixture and beat at a low speed just until combined (don't over mix).
Spoon batter into muffin cups and fill half-way. Sprinkle a few almonds evenly over each muffin. Top with chocolate chips (optional).
Bake muffins for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

*Large avocados are recommended for this recipe. A large avocado averages about 8 ounces. If using smaller or larger size avocados adjust the quantity accordingly.

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING

Calories 170
Total Fat 7 g (Sat 1 g, Trans 0 g, Poly 0.5 g, Mono 1.5 g)
Cholesterol 30 mg
Sodium 290 mg
Potassium 260 mg
Total Carbohydrates 24 g
Dietary Fiber 4 g
Total Sugar 6 g
Protein 6 g

Vitamin A 218 mcg; Vitamin C 8 mg; Calcium 105 mg; Iron 1 mg; Vitamin D 0 mcg; Folate 21 mcg; Omega 3 Fatty Acid 0.03 g

% Daily Value*: Vitamin A 25%; Vitamin C 8%; Calcium 8%; Iron 6%; Vitamin D 0%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 Calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

RECIPE TAGS

Homebuilder confidence slips again in February

Tue, 18 Feb 2020 14:12:00 EST

Homebuilder confidence slightly fell again this month, according to February's Housing Market Index. The last three monthly readings mark the highest sentiment levels since December 2017.

February 18, 2020, 11:29 am By Julia Falcon

The National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo, which publish the monthly report, revealed sentiment slipped by one point to 74.

While this is the second consecutive month for the sentiment to fall, December of 2019 saw a sentiment increase of five points to 75, marking the highest reading since June of 1999.

"At a time when demand is on the rise, regulatory constraints along with a shortage of construction workers and a dearth of lots are hindering the production of affordable housing in local communities across the nation," said NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz. "And while lower mortgage rates have improved housing affordability in recent months, accelerating price growth due to limited inventory may offset some of that effect."

This month, the index measuring current sales conditions fell to 80 points, while buyer traffic decreased slightly, to 57 and sales expectations over the next six months remained at 79 points.

The three-month moving averages for regional HMI scores show that while the South rose two points to 78, the Northeast rose to 63 points, the Midwest increased to 67 points and the West fell one point to 83.

"Steady job growth, rising wages and low interest rates are fueling demand but builders are still grappling with increasing construction and development costs," said NAHB Chairman Dean Mon, a home builder and developer from Shrewsbury, New Jersey.

NOTE: The NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index gauges builder opinions of single-family home sales and expectations, asking for a rating of good, fair or poor. Builders are also asked to rate prospective buyer traffic from very low to very high. The scores are used to calculate a seasonally adjusted index with a rating of 50 or over indicating positive sentiment

Affordable Home Projects to Speed Up a Sale

Tue, 18 Feb 2020 14:06:00 EST

Affordable Home Projects to Speed Up a Sale

Having a house on the market can be stressful. The longer it stays up for sale, the more anxiety you're likely to feel. There are a few things you can do that will boost your home's aesthetic and make them more appealing to potential buyers. However, it's important to keep an eye on your budget; you don't want to spend more on upgrades than you'll get back in home value. Here are a few ways you can update your home to draw in buyers without breaking the bank:

Savvy Staging

One of the simplest ways to catch buyers' eyes is to make sure your home is properly staged. If you have a unique décor style, you limit the number of people who are going to be drawn to your home. The more neutral and universal the décor in your home, the better.

An easy way to suit most people's tastes is to select décor pieces from major shops like Target. These stores appeal to the most popular decoration styles, and their items tend to look good together. You're also more likely to be able to find sales, coupons, and cashback rewards at these kinds of retailers. This means you can one-stop-shop and save money along the way. Also, according to Rakuten's 17 tips for saving at Target, you can also save money by browsing the Weekly Ad, browsing the clearance section, and applying for a REDcard.

Lifestyle Improvements

Anything you can add to your home that will visually signal lifestyle upgrades to your buyers will go a long way. For example, you can consider installing a wood fence; these look great, provide privacy, and are a big draw for buyers who have (or want) children or dogs.

However, you need to make sure you have the budget for the project – lumber averages from $7 to $15 per foot (the type of material will ultimately determine how much you'll pay for your fence), and labor can run between $10 and $15 per foot of fence. As tempting as it may be to cut corners, it's important to hire contractors who can get the job done right; otherwise, the fence might wind up flagged on inspection and cost you a sale. Whether it's a fence, a finished basement, a nice porch, or any other lifestyle booster, carefully considering the cost and balancing it against the return in sale price is an absolute must.

Aesthetic Upgrades

Certain details in your home can make the space look older, dated, and completely out of style. For example, cabinetry hardware has gone through many trend changes, so it can easily date your home and turn off prospective buyers. Doorknobs, curtain rods (can be purchased for under $10), and other easily replaced hardware throughout your home can do the same. Fortunately, you can generally upgrade these things on your own and on a relatively small budget.

Other items, such as old wallpaper or dated paneling, may or may not be worth the time and energy required to upgrade them. Remember: There are always buyers on the market looking for a project. Paint jobs and wallpaper can put a small dent in the value of your home, but it may be worth it if you can snag buyers looking to turn a space into their dream home. Thoughtfully consider which jobs you might be able to save time and money on without decreasing your home's value too dramatically in process.

Curb Appeal

Finally, focus on little things you can do to make your house catch viewers the instant they look at it. Whether it's online listings or in-person viewings, your home's façade is the first impression you make on viewers. It's important to make sure you nail it.

Something as simple as an inexpensive (or even DIYed, if your crafty) wreath can give your property a homey feel. With the addition of a few potted plants, your front doorway will set the tone for buyers, making your home as appealing as possible. When they come in through a door that feels inviting, they're much more likely to want to stay.

Securing buyers as quickly as possible will make your selling experience less stressful and more profitable. After all, the longer your house is on the market, the less likely you are to hit the sales price you're hoping for. So, by taking steps to make your house as appealing as possible, you'll find the ideal buyers in a short amount of time!

Photo Credit: Pexels

California Real Estate

Tue, 04 Feb 2020 17:28:00 EST

California Real Estate

There are currently 84,031 homes for sale in California. The median list price in California is $619,900 and the average price per square foot is $325.

HOW TO CUT AN AVOCADO WITHOUT CUTTING YOUR HAND

Tue, 04 Feb 2020 16:50:00 EST

As with all fruits and vegetables, wash avocados before cutting.
Check out our tips for how to choose and use California Avocados.

After receiving a number of messages (and photos - ouch!) recently from folks who are having trouble with cutting an avocado, I thought I'd take some time to run through the process of safely cutting an avocado.

5 TIPS TO HELP YOU CUT AN AVOCADO WITHOUT CUTTING YOURSELF

Here are some easy ways to safely cut an avocado. The below assumes your avocados have been washed and toweled dry prior to beginning.

Use a knife suitable for cutting an avocado. Make sure your knife is maneuverable yet large enough to easily control. I like using a medium-sized chef's knife, or an asian (Santoku) style knife with scalloped edges. Avoid paring knives for cutting avocados. A shorter knife like a paring knife may not always reach all the way to the seed when cutting - especially if you have larger avocados. Not to mention, paring knives can often be very sharp. When cutting ripe avocados you do not necessarily need the sharpest knife, as the flesh is smooth and creamy. You just need to get through the skin. If you do not have access to a chef's knife or Santoku knife, a steak knife will generally do.

Keep the avocado on the cutting board while cutting and de-seeding your avocados. There is no reason to pick up the avocado after you have washed it and toweled it dry - other than to move it to the cutting board. Instead of picking up the avocado and going around the seed in your hand with a knife to cut it, leave the avocado on the cutting board. Cut into the avocado and then hold the knife horizontally while rotating the avocado until the two halves are able to be separated.

You can proceed to a) quarter the avocado by rotating it 90 degrees and doing another 360 degree horizontal cut around the seed; or b) separate the two halves and place them on the cutting board face up

Do not 'wack' the seed with a knife or poke at the seed with the tip of a knife while holding an avocado in your hand. The flesh of the avocado is very easy to cut through, which makes this common method of de-seeding avocados especially dangerous. See #4 for a tip on easily removing the seed

Remove the seed by using a spoon, then slice the avocado halves into quarters by putting them face down on the cutting board and slicing through the skin from the stem downwards. Or use the quartering method described in section #2a above

When quartering an avocado, remove the seed with your fingers and place it in the waste bin (or grow your own avocado tree)

Peel your avocados. Scooping the avocado flesh away from the skin may be slightly faster, but the benefits of peeling avocados outweighs the convenience of scooping the flesh of the fruit away from the skin quickly. Read how to peel avocados and learn about how to get all of the nutrients from your avocados by peeling

BONUS AVOCADO CUTTING TIP

Dice or slice your avocado once you have your halves or quarters. It's common practice for some folks to cut their avocados in half and then slice into the flesh while the fruit is still in the shell (either trying to get slices or dices out by following up with a spoon and scooping the sliced or diced flesh away from the skin). This is dangerous when done in your hand as the tip of a knife can easily cut through both the flesh and the skin and go straight into your hand. Instead, get your halves or quarters on the cutting board, face down, and slice or dice as needed.

OTHER HELPFUL AVOCADO CUTTING RESOURCES

California REALTORS® encouraged by Gov. Newsom's 2020

Tue, 04 Feb 2020 16:08:00 EST

January 10, 2020

California REALTORS® encouraged by Gov. Newsom's 2020-21 budget

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Jan. 10) – The CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS^®(C.A.R.) today issued the following statement regarding California Gov. Gavin Newsom's state budget briefing:

"The California Association of REALTORS^® is encouraged by Gov. Gavin Newsom's California 2020-21 budget proposal and its focus on the state's housing supply and affordability crisis," C.A.R. President Jeanne Radsick said.

"This budget recognizes the severity of the housing crisis and addresses the root cause — a lack of housing supply. We stand ready to work with the governor and Legislature in the coming weeks and months to advance policies that increase the housing supply.

"We also want to thank the governor for his commitment to solving this housing crisis and for exploring the creation of a statewide housing agency focused on housing and homelessness. We also thank him for his expressed support of C.A.R. co-sponsored SB 50.

"We are very encouraged that several of the policies included within the governor's 2020-21 budget coincide with a series of C.A.R.-sponsored legislation such as efforts to streamline the development process and to increase housing production by limiting development fees."

"This legislation is our best opportunity in 2020 to make meaningful progress toward solving the housing supply and affordability crisis, and to renew the dream of homeownership for all Californians," stated Radsick.

Leading the way... ® in California real estate for more than 110 years, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS^® (www.car.org) is one of the largest state trade organizations in the United States, with more than 200,000 members dedicated to the advancement of professionalism in real estate. C.A.R. is headquartered in Los Angeles.

Mortgage Rates in California

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 17:14:00 EST

Mortgage Rates in California

Compare today's average mortgage rates in the state of California. Bankrate aggregates mortgage rates from multiple sources to provide averages for California.

California Mortgage Rates TUESDAY, JANUARY 28
LOAN TERM	INTEREST RATE	CHANGE 1 DAY	RATE LAST WEEK
30-year fixed mortgage rate	3.63%	0.10%	3.73%
15-year fixed mortgage rate	3.05%	0.08%	3.13%
5/1 ARM mortgage rate	3.13%	0.06%	3.19%
30-year fixed jumbo mortgage rate	3.65%	0.15%	3.80%
30-year fixed refinance rate	3.71%	0.10%	3.81%

Today's 30-year fixed rate:

3.63 %

As with all fruits and vegetables, wash avocados before cutting.
Check out our tips for how to choose and use California Avocados.

INSTRUCTIONS

Place avocados in a bowl and mash with a fork.
Immediately mix in remaining ingredients; serve immediately.

Serve with fresh tortilla chips.

* Large avocados are recommended for this recipe. A large avocado averages about 8 ounces. If using smaller or larger size avocados adjust the quantity accordingly.

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 Calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

David Vaughan

2010 California Avocado Best Guacamole Contest Best Tasting Category Winner, David Vaughan

California REALTORS®' statement on SB 50

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 17:10:00 EST

January 17, 2020

California REALTORS®' statement on SB 50

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Jan. 17) – The CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS^®(C.A.R.) today issued the following statement on Senate Bill 50 after it was moved to the Senate Rules Committee:

"The California Association of REALTORS® thanks Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins for her outstanding leadership and her commitment to continuing the conversation on SB 50. As proud co-sponsors of SB 50, we firmly believe that it continues to represent the most significant effort to address California's housing affordability crisis," C.A.R. President Jeanne Radsick said.

"California lawmakers have the opportunity to make 2020 the year of housing supply and we're encouraged by the Legislature's focus on this in the first few weeks of the year. We know that increasing the housing supply is the best long-term solution to making the dream of homeownership a reality for millions more Californians.

"We look forward to working with the governor, the pro tem and other lawmakers in the coming weeks to get SB 50 across the finish line."

Leading the way... ® in California real estate for more than 110 years, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (www.car.org) is one of the largest state trade organizations in the United States, with more than 200,000 members dedicated to the advancement of professionalism in real estate. C.A.R. is headquartered in Los Angeles.

AVOCADO TOAST CHRISTMAS TREE

Tue, 10 Dec 2019 16:09:00 EST

AVOCADO TOAST CHRISTMAS TREE

Recipe by: Jerry James Stone | Written December 4, 2018

Holiday appetizers don't have to be unhealthy. If you love avocado toast, this Christmas recipe is made for you! Easy to make and a big crowd pleaser. It's great for a holiday party appetizer, brunch, or just because. It's so cute, it works for any occasion.

Cut avocados lengthwise, around the pit. Twist each half in separate directions, to pull apart. Holding the half with the pit in one hand, whack the pit with a large sharp knife. Twist it until the pit pops out. Do so for each avo.
Cut the halves into slices with a spoon and then scoop out the fruit into a mixing bowl. Mash with a potato masher.
Add lemon juice and salt and mix well.
Toast the bread slices. Using a large knife, cut the bread into triangles.
Spread the avocado onto a triangle and build out a tree. One triangle at the top, two on the next row, three on the following but close together, and three on the bottom but spread apart.
Trim the crust from the remaining toast to make the trunk of the tree. Use a star-shaped cookie cutter, or just a knife, and carve out the star from a remaining piece of toast.
Slice the cherry tomatoes and use the slices as ornaments on the tree.
Serve immediately. Enjoy!

California housing market holds steady in October, C.A.R. reports

Tue, 10 Dec 2019 15:56:00 EST

November 18, 2019

California housing market holds steady in October, C.A.R. reports

- Existing, single-family home sales totaled 404,240 in October on a seasonally adjusted annualized rate, up 0.1 percent from September and up 1.9 percent from October 2018.

- October's statewide median home price was $605,280, down 0.1 percent from September and up 6.0 percent from October 2018.

- Year-to-date statewide home sales were down 2.6 percent in October.

LOS ANGELES (Nov. 18) – Shrinking inventory subdued California home sales and held home sales and prices steady in October, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS^®(C.A.R.) said today.

Closed escrow sales of existing, single-family detached homes in California totaled a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 404,240 units in October, according to information collected by C.A.R. from more than 90 local REALTOR^®associations and MLSs statewide. The statewide annualized sales figure represents what would be the total number of homes sold during 2019 if sales maintained the October pace throughout the year. It is adjusted to account for seasonal factors that typically influence home sales.

October's sales figure was up 0.1 percent from the 404,030 level in September and up 1.9 percent from home sales in October 2018 of a revised 396,720.

"The California housing market continued to see gradual improvement in recent months as the current mortgage environment remains favorable to those who want to buy a home. With interest rates remaining historically low for the foreseeable future, motivated buyers finding that homes are slightly more affordable may seize the opportunity and resume their home search," said 2020 C.A.R. President Jeanne Radsick, a second-generation REALTOR^® from Bakersfield, Calif. "Additionally, the condominium loan policies that went into effect mid-October could help buyers for whom single-family homes are out of reach."

The median price slipped 0.1 percent from September's $605,680 to $605,280 in October. October's median price was up 6.0 percent from $571,070 in October 2018, marking the seventh straight month that the median price remained above $600,000. The annual price gain was the largest since July 2018.

"The latest surge in home prices is the consequence of an ongoing mismatch between supply and demand," said C.A.R. Senior Vice President and Chief Economist Leslie Appleton-Young. "While low interest rates will reduce borrowing costs for buyers and temporarily alleviate affordability concerns at the micro level, without an increase in housing supply — including new housing construction for sale or rent — fundamental issues remain at the macro level, which will worsen the affordability crisis down the road."

Even with near record low mortgage rates, consumers still see challenges in the current housing market conditions. According to a monthly Google poll conducted by C.A.R. in November, less than one-fourth of respondents (24 percent) believe that it is a good time to buy now, lower than last year (27 percent), when interest rates were more than 100 basis points higher. Less than half (47 percent) believe it is a good time to sell, down from 51 percent a year ago.

Other key points from C.A.R.'s October 2019 resale housing report include:

At the regional level, non-seasonally adjusted sales rose on an annual basis in all major regions. Central Valley increased the most at 7.1 percent, followed by Southern California (7.0 percent), Central Coast (3.9 percent) and the Bay Area (1.4 percent). Thirty-two of the 51 counties tracked by C.A.R. experienced year-over-year growth, with Merced gaining the most from last year at 24 percent. Amador had the largest drop, with sales falling 31.1 percent on a year-over-year basis.
At the regional level, median home prices rose from a year ago in all major regions except in the San Francisco Bay Area. As a region, the Bay Area has been experiencing year-over-year price declines for nine consecutive months and 10 of the last 11 months. Despite the price drop at the regional level, prices in six of the nine Bay Area counties continued to grow on a year-over-year basis. The three counties in the region that dipped in price from last October were Santa Clara (-4.3 percent), Marin (-3.6 percent) and San Mateo (-1.8 percent).
In the Southern California region, median home prices grew in every county, led by San Bernardino County, which recorded a 10.4 percent jump from a year ago.
In the Bay Area, home price performance was mixed, ranging from a 9.3 percent annual price increase in Solano County to a 4.3 percent year-over-year price decline in Santa Clara County.
After 15 straight months of year-over-year increases, active listings fell for the fourth straight month, dropping 18.0 percent from year ago. The decline was the largest since May 2013.
The Unsold Inventory Index (UII), which is a ratio of inventory over sales, was 3.0 months in October, down from 3.6 in both September 2019 and October 2018. It was the lowest level since June 2018. The index measures the number of months it would take to sell the supply of homes on the market at the current sales rate.
The median number of days it took to sell a California single-family home fell from a year ago, declining from 26 days in October 2018 to 24 days in October 2019.
C.A.R.'s statewide sales-price-to-list-price ratio* was 98.5 percent in October 2019, up from 98.1 in October 2018.
The statewide average price per square foot** for an existing single-family home was $289 in October 2019 and $282 in October 2018.
The 30-year, fixed-mortgage interest rate averaged 3.69 percent in October, down from 4.83 percent in October 2018, according to Freddie Mac. The decrease of 114 basis points for the 30-year fixed-mortgage rate was the largest decline in any 12-month period since November 2009. The five-year, adjustable mortgage interest rate was an average of 3.38 percent, compared to 4.08 percent in October 2018.

# # #

October 2019 County Sales and Price Activity
(Regional and condo sales data not seasonally adjusted)

October 2019	Median Sold Price of Existing Single-Family Homes						Sales
State/Region/County	Oct. 2019	Sept. 2019	Oct. 2018		Price MTM% Chg	Price YTY% Chg	Sales MTM% Chg	Sales YTY% Chg
Calif. Single-family home	$605,280	$605,680	$571,070	r	-0.1%	6.0%	0.1%	1.9%
Calif. Condo/Townhome	$473,400	$460,000	$470,000	r	2.9%	0.7%	5.2%	0.9%
Los Angeles Metro Area	$545,000	$545,000	$516,000		0.0%	5.6%	11.8%	6.2%
Central Coast	$675,000	$695,000	$669,500		-2.9%	0.8%	6.2%	3.9%
Central Valley	$345,000	$340,250	$320,000		1.4%	7.8%	10.5%	7.1%
Inland Empire	$380,000	$385,000	$359,000		-1.3%	5.8%	6.9%	6.0%
San Francisco Bay Area	$940,000	$880,000	$958,800		6.8%	-2.0%	14.6%	1.4%

San Francisco Bay Area
Alameda	$925,000	$910,000	$900,000		1.6%	2.8%	21.8%	0.1%
Contra Costa	$681,250	$656,000	$657,000		3.8%	3.7%	9.7%	10.7%
Marin	$1,397,500	$1,360,000	$1,450,000		2.8%	-3.6%	30.1%	5.0%
Napa	$735,000	$787,500	$709,500		-6.7%	3.6%	4.4%	14.4%
San Francisco	$1,650,000	$1,540,000	$1,600,000		7.1%	3.1%	101.6%	1.7%
San Mateo	$1,560,000	$1,470,000	$1,588,000		6.1%	-1.8%	26.8%	-9.6%
Santa Clara	$1,234,750	$1,225,000	$1,290,000		0.8%	-4.3%	12.6%	-1.3%
Solano	$470,000	$455,000	$430,000		3.3%	9.3%	-6.5%	7.5%
Sonoma	$660,000	$655,750	$650,000		0.6%	1.5%	-3.3%	-8.4%
Southern California
Los Angeles	$647,890	$663,110	$614,500		-2.3%	5.4%	21.1%	2.8%
Orange	$820,000	$830,000	$810,000		-1.2%	1.2%	0.9%	12.9%
Riverside	$420,000	$429,450	$400,000		-2.2%	5.0%	7.4%	6.8%
San Bernardino	$319,000	$315,000	$289,000		1.3%	10.4%	6.0%	4.7%
San Diego	$652,000	$636,750	$635,500		2.4%	2.6%	1.7%	11.2%
Ventura	$660,000	$659,250	$650,000		0.1%	1.5%	19.3%	14.5%
Central Coast
Monterey	$643,280	$658,000	$620,000		-2.2%	3.8%	18.9%	3.8%
San Luis Obispo	$627,000	$655,500	$586,000		-4.3%	7.0%	11.1%	23.5%
Santa Barbara	$632,500	$731,500	$659,000		-13.5%	-4.0%	0.9%	4.0%
Santa Cruz	$865,000	$795,000	$885,000		8.8%	-2.3%	-9.7%	-22.3%
Central Valley
Fresno	$287,000	$296,000	$272,000		-3.0%	5.5%	11.9%	8.9%
Glenn	$245,000	$266,500	$253,000		-8.1%	-3.2%	21.4%	6.3%
Kern	$262,000	$257,600	$240,000		1.7%	9.2%	3.8%	-1.0%
Kings	$251,000	$258,000	$229,000		-2.7%	9.6%	-31.0%	-8.0%
Madera	$299,950	$276,500	$254,950		8.5%	17.7%	-13.1%	3.5%
Merced	$285,000	$277,250	$271,850		2.8%	4.8%	3.9%	24.0%
Placer	$505,000	$495,000	$470,000		2.0%	7.4%	16.5%	10.8%
Sacramento	$385,000	$385,000	$360,000		0.0%	6.9%	11.6%	6.9%
San Benito	$604,940	$610,410	$597,000		-0.9%	1.3%	2.0%	8.7%
San Joaquin	$375,500	$385,000	$369,200		-2.5%	1.7%	12.6%	9.6%
Stanislaus	$343,000	$332,750	$319,000		3.1%	7.5%	25.9%	8.8%
Tulare	$255,000	$250,000	$232,000		2.0%	9.9%	13.7%	3.7%
Other Calif. Counties
Amador	$322,000	$325,000	$325,000	r	-0.9%	-0.9%	4.1%	-31.1%
Butte	$358,250	$358,750	$318,000		-0.1%	12.7%	14.9%	0.6%
Calaveras	$356,110	$330,000	$302,500		7.9%	17.7%	4.9%	-6.9%
Del Norte	$247,500	$280,000	$223,000		-11.6%	11.0%	26.3%	-4.0%
El Dorado	$490,000	$489,900	$500,000		0.0%	-2.0%	19.3%	-1.2%
Humboldt	$325,000	$345,000	$315,000		-5.8%	3.2%	5.5%	-10.9%
Lake	$275,000	$270,000	$265,250		1.9%	3.7%	-9.3%	-2.9%
Lassen	$162,000	$180,000	$148,000		-10.0%	9.5%	-20.0%	-20.0%
Mariposa	$295,000	$318,000	$305,500		-7.2%	-3.4%	-11.8%	-25.0%
Mendocino	$406,500	$407,500	$420,000		-0.2%	-3.2%	-1.7%	-3.3%
Mono	$725,000	$699,750	$599,900		3.6%	20.9%	-6.3%	-11.8%
Nevada	$419,500	$399,000	$401,500		5.1%	4.5%	-5.4%	-9.0%
Plumas	$275,000	$380,000	$310,000		-27.6%	-11.3%	48.5%	4.3%
Shasta	$303,000	$280,000	$261,000		8.2%	16.1%	-2.4%	-16.9%
Siskiyou	$235,000	$240,000	$181,500		-2.1%	29.5%	9.3%	2.2%
Sutter	$319,900	$327,500	$290,000		-2.3%	10.3%	45.3%	0.0%
Tehama	$262,000	$225,500	$233,250		16.2%	12.3%	-13.5%	7.1%
Tuolumne	$300,000	$307,000	$304,000		-2.3%	-1.3%	2.4%	11.5%
Yolo	$479,950	$453,500	$443,750		5.8%	8.2%	-4.3%	19.6%
Yuba	$298,000	$305,000	$282,000		-2.3%	5.7%	13.8%	13.8%

r = revised

NA = not available

October 2019 County Unsold Inventory and Days on Market
(Regional and condo sales data not seasonally adjusted)

October 2019	Unsold Inventory Index					Median Time on Market
State/Region/County	Oct. 2019	Sept. 2019		Oct. 2018		Oct. 2019	Sept. 2019	Oct. 2018
Calif. Single-family home	3.0	3.6	r	3.6		24.0	24.0	26.0
Calif. Condo/Townhomes	2.9	3.2		3.1		25.0	24.0	21.0
Los Angeles Metro Area	3.2	3.7		4.0		29.0	27.0	30.0
Central Coast	3.8	4.4		4.1		29.0	28.0	30.0
Central Valley	2.7	3.1	r	3.3		17.0	17.0	21.0
Inland Empire	3.5	3.9		4.3		32.0	31.0	35.0
San Francisco Bay Area	2.3	2.9		2.5		21.0	23.0	19.0

San Francisco Bay Area
Alameda	1.7	2.4		2.1		15.0	14.0	15.0
Contra Costa	2.0	2.5		2.6		17.0	20.0	16.0
Marin	2.5	4.0		3.0		29.0	38.0	22.0
Napa	4.2	5.2		5.0		56.0	68.0	41.0
San Francisco	1.9	3.8		1.9		15.0	17.0	15.0
San Mateo	2.1	2.8		1.9		12.0	13.0	12.0
Santa Clara	2.1	2.7		2.4		18.0	17.0	14.0
Solano	2.8	2.7		3.4		36.0	36.0	39.0
Sonoma	3.6	4.0		3.3		45.0	45.0	47.5
Southern California
Los Angeles	3.0	3.5		3.7		22.0	21.0	25.0
Orange	2.5	3.6		4.1		28.0	24.5	29.0
Riverside	3.4	3.8		4.3		32.0	32.0	34.0
San Bernardino	3.6	4.1		4.3		32.0	30.0	35.0
San Diego	2.8	3.1		3.9		18.0	18.0	24.0
Ventura	3.6	4.7		5.1		51.0	49.0	51.0
Central Coast
Monterey	4.0	5.2		4.4		25.5	26.0	25.0
San Luis Obispo	3.4	4.2		4.3		34.5	28.0	29.0
Santa Barbara	4.0	4.2		4.5		28.5	28.0	40.0
Santa Cruz	3.9	4.0		3.1		35.0	31.0	21.0
Central Valley
Fresno	3.1	3.5		3.6		15.0	16.0	19.0
Glenn	5.5	6.4		4.9		29.0	31.5	22.5
Kern	2.5	2.7		2.9		17.0	17.0	21.0
Kings	3.4	2.4		3.8		28.5	24.5	26.0
Madera	4.8	4.3		5.7		27.0	25.0	30.0
Merced	2.6	2.9		3.7		28.5	24.0	22.0
Placer	2.8	3.7		3.4		22.0	24.0	25.0
Sacramento	2.1	2.5		2.8		14.0	12.0	19.0
San Benito	3.2	3.3		3.6		21.0	21.0	23.0
San Joaquin	2.8	3.2		3.1		21.0	21.0	22.0
Stanislaus	2.2	3.1		3.1		16.0	15.0	21.0
Tulare	3.1	3.5		3.6		21.0	22.0	28.0
Other Calif. Counties
Amador	7.2	7.8		NA		41.0	47.0	41.5	r
Butte	3.0	3.7		3.3		21.0	18.5	21.0
Calaveras	5.1	5.7		4.7		45.5	61.0	43.5
Del Norte	6.6	9.4		5.0		106.0	115.0	95.0
El Dorado	3.8	5.3		3.6		51.0	46.0	48.0
Humboldt	4.8	5.4		4.9		21.0	20.0	27.0
Lake	7.0	7.1		6.7		65.5	59.0	51.0
Lassen	8.4	6.6		6.1		84.5	124.0	109.0
Mariposa	7.9	7.1		5.4	r	109.0	64.0	19.0	r
Mendocino	6.4	7.2		7.3		71.0	65.0	87.0
Mono	8.3	8.2		4.8		83.0	88.0	115.0
Nevada	5.1	5.6		4.3		44.5	48.0	40.5
Plumas	6.7	11.8		6.1		112.0	111.0	87.0
Shasta	4.4	4.6		3.9		33.0	29.0	34.5
Siskiyou	6.4	7.8		6.6		70.0	28.0	20.0
Sutter	2.9	4.3		3.1		24.0	14.0	34.0
Tehama	5.2	4.8		5.4		63.0	56.5	48.5
Tuolumne	6.1	6.7		5.6		55.0	38.5	47.0
Yolo	3.0	2.8		3.7		20.5	20.0	22.0
Yuba	2.7	3.3		3.0		21.0	27.5	33.0

r = revised

NA = not available

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Steps to take before buying

Wed, 06 Nov 2019 17:06:00 EST

When it comes to buying you must follow a few guidelines, here is a pin I found on pinterest, If you or anyone you know is thinking about buying or selling, have them call our office

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California REALTORS® call for renewed and robust legislative action to prioritize housing supply in 2020

Wed, 06 Nov 2019 17:05:00 EST

October 29, 2019

California REALTORS^® call for renewed and robust legislative action to prioritize housing supply in 2020

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Oct. 29) – The CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS^® (C.A.R.) today issued the following statement calling on state lawmakers to prioritize increasing the housing supply:

"The California Association of REALTORS^® is continuing its call for state lawmakers to advance policies that will increase the housing supply in the upcoming 2020 legislative session. As all signs show California's housing affordability and availability crisis worsening, our state's leaders must prioritize improving supply as the solution because our future depends on it. Simply put, it's time to get serious on housing supply," C.A.R. President Jared Martin said.

"Our membership of more than 200,000 real estate professionals are united in urging the legislature to make increasing housing supply its top priority in the next legislative session. While some meaningful progress was made this year with the enactment of Sen. Nancy Skinner's SB 330 to streamline the development permitting process, this crisis demands even more robust and meaningful policy changes. The Legislature must advance bold new solutions like C.A.R. co-sponsored SB 50 by Sen. Scott Wiener if we are to have any hope of closing the state's widening supply gap."

"Earlier this year, C.A.R. launched an initiative called Let's Get Serious on Supply urging the California legislature to support policies that increase housing production. Our message was echoed by editorial boards across the state and from every political perspective including the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle and The Orange County Register.

"California's leaders must respond with real solutions before it's too late and our children are left without the housing options they deserve. C.A.R. stands ready to work with lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom to advance policies that deliver a brighter housing future for all Californians."

Leading the way... ^® in California real estate for more than 110 years, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS^® (www.car.org) is one of the largest state trade organizations in the United States, with more than 200,000 members dedicated to the advancement of professionalism in real estate. C.A.R. is headquartered in Los Angeles.

Gifting time is right around the corner. Visit Avocado Monhtly for our gift packs.

Mon, 21 Oct 2019 17:07:00 EST

The holiday season is right around the corner. We have some great gift packs for you to send out. Visit us at Avocadomonhtly.com

Why motivates sellers sell!

Mon, 21 Oct 2019 17:03:00 EST

When it comes to negotiating a home find a home where sellers are motivated, here is list I found on Pinterest of why motivated sellers sale. When you are ready to buy call Sunshine Properties Real Estate, we are here to help! 760-728-8855. We have a full staff available 7 days a week.

Greater buying power amid historically low rates bolsters September home sales,C.A.R. reports

Mon, 21 Oct 2019 17:02:00 EST

Greater buying power amid historically low rates bolsters September home sales,
C.A.R. reports

- Existing, single-family home sales totaled 404,030 in September on a seasonally adjusted annualized rate, down 0.5 percent from August and up 5.8 percent from September 2018.

- September's statewide median home price was $605,680, down 1.9 percent from August and up 4.7 percent from September 2018.

- Year-to-date statewide home sales were down 3.1 percent in September.

LOS ANGELES (Oct. 16) – Amid the most favorable mortgage interest rates in nearly three years, California's housing market recorded a third consecutive year-over-year sales increase as month-over-month sales remained essentially flat, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS^® (C.A.R.) said today.

Closed escrow sales of existing, single-family detached homes in California totaled a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 404,030 units in September, according to information collected by C.A.R. from more than 90 local REALTOR^®associations and MLSs statewide. The statewide annualized sales figure represents what would be the total number of homes sold during 2019 if sales maintained the September pace throughout the year. It is adjusted to account for seasonal factors that typically influence home sales.

September's sales figure was down 0.5 percent from the 406,100 level in August and up 5.8 percent from home sales in September 2018 of a revised 382,040. The year-over-year sales increase was the largest in two-and-a-half years.

"The housing market has been performing better so far in the second half of 2019, with both sales and prices up as mortgage rates remain near their three-year lows," said C.A.R. President Jared Martin. "Additionally, pending sales have been on an upward trend with a near-10 percent increase over a year ago, making it the largest gain in three years. The solid improvement in pending sales suggests that the market may see more sales gains in the coming months."

After hitting another record high in August, the median price slipped from August's $617,410 to $605,680 in September. September's median price was up 4.7 percent from $578,420 in September 2018, marking the sixth straight month that the median price remained above $600,000. The annual price gain was the largest in nearly a year.

"Despite having the largest annual gain in the last 30 months, sales remained just slightly above the 400,000 benchmark and have not shown meaningful growth in the last few years," said C.A.R. Senior Vice President and Chief Economist Leslie Appleton-Young. "As such, while low mortgage rates have motivated buyers to enter the market in the short term, we should be mindful that economic uncertainties, supply constraints and low housing affordability could continue to hold demand back in the long run."

Even with near record low mortgage rates, consumers still see challenges in the current housing market conditions. According to a monthly Google poll conducted by C.A.R. in October, 22 percent of respondents believe that it is a good time to buy now, slightly better than last year (21 percent), when interest rates were 100 basis points higher. More than half (52 percent) believe it is a good time to sell, an improvement from the prior month (46 percent) but below last year's 56 percent.

Other key points from C.A.R.'s September 2019 resale housing report include:

At the regional level, non-seasonally adjusted sales rose on an annual basis in all major regions, with Los Angeles County recording the largest yearly gain at 9.2 percent. The Central Valley experienced a 7.5 percent year-over-year increase. The San Francisco Bay Area posted a 6.2 percent yearly increase, and sales in the Inland Empire rose 5.6 percent from last year.
At the regional level, median home prices rose from a year ago in all major regions except in the San Francisco Bay Area. As a region, the Bay Area has been experiencing year-over-year price declines for eight consecutive months and nine of the last 10 months.
In the Southern California region, median home prices grew in every county except San Diego and Ventura. Riverside had the largest annual price gain of 5.8 percent in the region, followed by San Bernardino (5.0 percent), Los Angeles (4.5 percent), and Orange (0.6 percent).
After 15 straight months of year-over-year increases, active listing fell for the third straight month, dropping 11.8 percent from year ago. The decline was the largest since December 2017.
The Unsold Inventory Index (UII), which is a ratio of inventory over sales, was 3.5 months in September, up from 3.2 in August and down from 4.2 months in September 2018. The index measures the number of months it would take to sell the supply of homes on the market at the current sales rate.
The median number of days it took to sell a California single-family home edged up in September. Time on market inched up from 23 days in August to 24 days in September. It took a median of 23 days to sell a home in September 2018.
C.A.R.'s statewide sales-price-to-list-price ratio* was 98.5 percent in September 2019, unchanged from September 2018.
The statewide average price per square foot** for an existing single-family home was $287 in September 2019 and $281 in September 2018.
The 30-year, fixed-mortgage interest rate averaged 3.61 percent in September, down from 4.63 percent in September 2018, according to Freddie Mac. The five-year, adjustable mortgage interest rate was an average of 3.38 percent, compared to 3.94 percent in September 2018.

# # #

September 2019 County Sales and Price Activity
(Regional and condo sales data not seasonally adjusted)

September 2019	Median Sales Price of Existing Single-Family Homes						Sales
State/Region/County	Sept. 2019	Aug. 2019	Sept. 2018		Price MTM% Chg	Price YTY% Chg	Sales MTM% Chg	Sales YTY% Chg
Calif. Single-family homes	$605,680	$617,410	$578,420	r	-1.9%	4.7%	-0.5%	5.8%
Calif. Condo/Townhomes	$460,000	$468,000	$470,000	r	-1.7%	-2.1%	-11.7%	9.4%
Los Angeles Metro Area	$545,000	$545,000	$520,000		0.0%	4.8%	-10.4%	9.2%
Central Coast	$695,000	$698,000	$678,990		-0.4%	2.4%	-10.4%	6.6%
Central Valley	$340,250	$343,000	$325,000		-0.8%	4.7%	-13.1%	7.5%
Inland Empire	$385,000	$380,000	$368,000		1.3%	4.6%	-11.1%	5.6%
San Francisco Bay Area	$880,000	$900,000	$930,000		-2.2%	-5.4%	-15.3%	6.2%

San Francisco Bay Area
Alameda	$910,000	$905,500	$900,000		0.5%	1.1%	-21.8%	2.6%
Contra Costa	$656,000	$672,750	$650,000		-2.5%	0.9%	-15.3%	12.3%
Marin	$1,360,000	$1,230,000	$1,395,000		10.6%	-2.5%	-15.5%	-6.9%
Napa	$787,500	$699,000	$685,000		12.7%	15.0%	15.2%	25.3%
San Francisco	$1,540,000	$1,602,500	$1,507,500		-3.9%	2.2%	-26.5%	-16.4%
San Mateo	$1,470,000	$1,545,000	$1,600,000		-4.9%	-8.1%	-10.3%	-1.0%
Santa Clara	$1,225,000	$1,190,000	$1,250,000		2.9%	-2.0%	-17.1%	-0.8%
Solano	$455,000	$459,700	$451,500		-1.0%	0.8%	-18.0%	18.9%
Sonoma	$655,750	$712,000	$654,500		-7.9%	0.2%	0.3%	21.2%
Southern California
Los Angeles	$663,110	$627,690	$634,680		5.6%	4.5%	-9.4%	9.2%
Orange	$830,000	$810,000	$825,000		2.5%	0.6%	-9.1%	16.4%
Riverside	$429,450	$420,000	$405,950		2.3%	5.8%	-12.0%	8.3%
San Bernardino	$315,000	$315,000	$300,000		0.0%	5.0%	-9.6%	1.5%
San Diego	$636,750	$650,000	$640,000		-2.0%	-0.5%	-10.8%	16.3%
Ventura	$659,250	$661,900	$673,750		-0.4%	-2.2%	-17.0%	12.9%
Central Coast
Monterey	$658,000	$632,500	$624,000		4.0%	5.4%	-18.9%	-19.6%
San Luis Obispo	$655,500	$640,000	$639,000		2.4%	2.6%	-7.8%	13.9%
Santa Barbara	$731,500	$720,000	$677,500		1.6%	8.0%	-7.1%	23.2%
Santa Cruz	$795,000	$875,000	$910,500		-9.1%	-12.7%	-8.3%	14.9%
Central Valley
Fresno	$296,000	$285,000	$267,000		3.9%	10.9%	-18.9%	5.5%
Glenn	$266,500	$270,000	$227,500		-1.3%	17.1%	-26.3%	-41.7%
Kern	$257,600	$255,500	$241,000		0.8%	6.9%	-16.1%	11.6%
Kings	$258,000	$258,450	$239,950		-0.2%	7.5%	-1.7%	28.9%
Madera	$276,500	$279,000	$282,500		-0.9%	-2.1%	4.3%	27.3%
Merced	$277,250	$278,600	$280,000		-0.5%	-1.0%	-1.3%	38.7%
Placer	$495,000	$500,000	$475,000		-1.0%	4.2%	-24.8%	-3.7%
Sacramento	$385,000	$386,000	$372,000		-0.3%	3.5%	-12.7%	4.8%
San Benito	$610,410	$609,950	$562,000		0.1%	8.6%	-21.0%	28.9%
San Joaquin	$385,000	$389,000	$360,000		-1.0%	6.9%	-10.1%	17.2%
Stanislaus	$332,750	$335,000	$315,000		-0.7%	5.6%	-19.6%	-9.0%
Tulare	$250,000	$250,000	$240,000		0.0%	4.2%	21.1%	17.2%
Other Calif. Counties
Amador	$325,000	$329,000	$325,500	r	-1.2%	-0.2%	-22.2%	-15.5%
Butte	$358,750	$353,150	$320,000		1.6%	12.1%	-19.1%	8.0%
Calaveras	$330,000	$346,360	$328,000		-4.7%	0.6%	-8.0%	2.0%
Del Norte	$280,000	$264,180	$205,000		6.0%	36.6%	-9.5%	-24.0%
El Dorado	$489,900	$525,000	$465,000		-6.7%	5.4%	-20.4%	1.5%
Humboldt	$345,000	$320,000	$315,000		7.8%	9.5%	-11.4%	6.9%
Lake	$270,000	$260,000	$288,000		3.8%	-6.3%	2.7%	23.0%
Lassen	$180,000	$200,000	$159,450		-10.0%	12.9%	-32.4%	-3.8%
Mariposa	$318,000	$330,000	$315,000	r	-3.6%	1.0%	-5.6%	30.8%
Mendocino	$407,500	$413,500	$433,500		-1.5%	-6.0%	-9.1%	25.0%
Mono	$699,750	$712,500	$622,500		-1.8%	12.4%	-20.0%	14.3%
Nevada	$399,000	$415,500	$445,000		-4.0%	-10.3%	-6.5%	41.8%
Plumas	$380,000	$345,000	$265,000		10.1%	43.4%	-38.9%	3.1%
Shasta	$280,000	$294,900	$255,000		-5.1%	9.8%	-15.1%	-4.6%
Siskiyou	$240,000	$210,000	$205,000		14.3%	17.1%	-34.8%	-21.8%
Sutter	$327,500	$309,000	$290,000		6.0%	12.9%	-39.1%	-13.1%
Tehama	$225,500	$281,250	$228,000		-19.8%	-1.1%	13.0%	26.8%
Tuolumne	$307,000	$302,500	$291,400		1.5%	5.4%	9.0%	39.3%
Yolo	$453,500	$465,000	$470,000		-2.5%	-3.5%	-3.4%	37.3%
Yuba	$305,000	$298,000	$257,500		2.3%	18.4%	15.9%	14.3%

r = revised

NA = not available

September 2019 County Unsold Inventory and Days on Market
(Regional and condo sales data not seasonally adjusted)

September 2019	Unsold Inventory Index				Median Time on Market
State/Region/County	Sept. 2019	Aug. 2019	Sept. 2018		Sept. 2019	Aug. 2019	Sept. 2018
Calif. Single-family homes	3.5	3.2	4.2		24.0	23.0	23.0
Calif. Condo/Townhomes	3.2	2.9	3.6		24.0	23.0	20.0
Los Angeles Metro Area	3.7	3.4	4.5		27.0	27.0	28.0
Central Coast	4.4	4.1	4.7		28.0	25.0	26.0
Central Valley	2.9	2.8	3.7		17.0	17.0	18.0
Inland Empire	3.9	3.6	4.5		31.0	32.0	34.0
San Francisco Bay Area	2.9	2.5	3.2		23.0	21.0	19.0

San Francisco Bay Area
Alameda	2.4	1.9	2.7		14.0	14.0	14.0
Contra Costa	2.5	2.2	2.9		20.0	16.0	16.0
Marin	4.0	3.2	3.5		38.0	35.0	30.0
Napa	5.2	6.3	5.6		68.0	45.0	39.0
San Francisco	3.8	2.1	3.4		17.0	15.0	14.0
San Mateo	2.8	2.3	2.9		13.0	14.0	13.0
Santa Clara	2.7	2.3	2.8		17.0	18.0	15.0
Solano	2.7	2.4	3.5		36.0	35.0	34.5
Sonoma	4.0	4.2	4.5		45.0	42.0	47.0
Southern California
Los Angeles	3.5	3.1	4.4		21.0	20.5	21.0
Orange	3.6	3.5	4.3		24.5	24.0	29.0
Riverside	3.8	3.4	4.6		32.0	33.0	34.0
San Bernardino	4.1	3.8	4.4		30.0	31.0	34.0
San Diego	3.1	2.9	4.1		18.0	17.0	19.0
Ventura	4.7	4.3	6.3		49.0	46.0	46.5
Central Coast
Monterey	5.2	4.1	4.1		26.0	25.0	20.0
San Luis Obispo	4.2	4.1	4.7		28.0	30.0	39.0
Santa Barbara	4.2	4.2	5.6		28.0	23.0	26.0
Santa Cruz	4.0	3.7	4.3		31.0	16.0	19.0
Central Valley
Fresno	3.5	2.9	3.9		16.0	16.5	17.0
Glenn	6.4	4.7	2.9		31.5	25.0	57.5
Kern	2.7	2.5	3.6		17.0	16.0	20.5
Kings	2.4	2.8	3.6		24.5	20.0	16.0
Madera	4.3	4.7	5.4	r	25.0	30.0	35.5
Merced	2.9	3.2	4.3		24.0	28.5	14.0
Placer	3.7	2.9	3.6		24.0	20.0	22.0
Sacramento	2.5	2.2	3.2		12.0	12.0	15.0
San Benito	3.3	2.7	4.3		21.0	36.0	22.5
San Joaquin	3.2	2.9	3.8		21.0	20.0	17.0
Stanislaus	3.1	2.5	3.3		15.0	15.0	20.0
Tulare	3.5	4.3	4.6		22.0	20.0	29.0
Other Calif. Counties
Amador	7.8	6.0	NA		47.0	31.0	52.0	r
Butte	3.7	3.0	4.4		18.5	14.0	15.0
Calaveras	5.7	5.8	5.9		61.0	53.0	50.0
Del Norte	9.4	8.9	5.2		115.0	81.0	89.0
El Dorado	5.3	4.6	4.6		46.0	43.0	32.0
Humboldt	5.4	4.8	6.6		20.0	25.0	29.0
Lake	7.1	7.6	8.0		59.0	48.0	54.0
Lassen	6.6	4.7	6.3		124.0	79.0	98.5
Mariposa	7.1	6.6	8.4		64.0	68.0	22.0
Mendocino	7.2	6.4	9.7		65.0	67.0	75.0
Mono	8.2	7.2	7.3		88.0	93.0	85.0
Nevada	5.6	5.4	6.9		48.0	33.0	33.0
Plumas	11.8	8.1	11.3		111.0	87.0	83.5
Shasta	4.6	3.9	4.5		29.0	30.0	33.0
Siskiyou	7.8	5.1	5.6		28.0	42.0	59.0
Sutter	4.3	2.3	4.2		14.0	19.0	23.0
Tehama	4.8	5.7	5.8		56.5	58.5	74.0
Tuolumne	6.7	7.8	7.7		38.5	47.0	45.0
Yolo	2.8	2.8	3.9		20.0	20.0	14.5
Yuba	3.3	3.8	3.9		27.5	18.0	22.5

r = revised

NA = not available

C.A.R. statement on Treasury proposal to reform Fannie, Freddie

Mon, 16 Sep 2019 14:06:00 EST

For release:
September 5, 2019

C.A.R. statement on Treasury proposal to reform Fannie, Freddie

LOS ANGELES (Sept. 5) – Earlier this year, the Trump administration said it would issue a comprehensive proposal to address the 11-year conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and reform the mortgage finance market as a whole.

The CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS^® (C.A.R.) today issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Dept. of Treasury Housing Reform Plan:

"C.A.R. appreciates the administration's efforts to address the conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The proposal would ensure a government guarantee in the mortgage market, which is vital to maintaining the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage," said C.A.R. President Jared Martin.

"However, we have concerns that the proposal will harm high-cost areas, such as California, by reducing support for mortgages with higher loan balances. C.A.R. is also concerned about the impact on cities and communities throughout California if support is reduced for vacation homes and mom-and-pop investors.

We will work with the National Association of REALTORS^®, the administration and California's Congressional delegation to ensure the needs of California's real estate market continue to be met as this proposal moves forward."

Avocado Monhtly and their projects

Mon, 16 Sep 2019 13:57:00 EST

Avocado Monthly working hard over the weekend.

The Samee variety will be ready for our November shipments along w the Sir. Prize and the kids are busy playing at the Rainbow Ranch Family Tree House.

If you need organic avocados to visit www.avocadomonthly.com we will have some great Holiday Variety packs.

Caring outdoor Fabrics

Mon, 16 Sep 2019 13:55:00 EST

This infographic is attributed to Fabric Guru, and the original version can be found here.

THE FOOD THAT FITS YOUR LIFESTYLE

Tue, 27 Aug 2019 13:16:00 EST

THE FOOD THAT FITS YOUR LIFESTYLE

Elizabeth Shaw 08 / 06 / 2019

Picture this scenario:

You're about to host a party for 50. As the RSVPs start to trickle in, you see a few guests have written special dietary notes. "Okay, no big deal, I can do a dairy-free menu," you say to yourself. The day before the big bash, a few late RSVPs roll in and before you know it you have a vegan, two vegetarians, three low sodium, one low-carb, six gluten-free and three dairy-free guests that will be joining you! Panic ensues, am I right?

First off, don't stress! I promise you will get through this and have a wonderful evening with delicious food that will be raved about for weeks to come. Here's how:

Embrace the Californian style of cooking. Yes, it sounds simple and truthfully it is! The Californian style of cooking is filled with fresh produce which makes it easy to accommodate the various eating styles out there. While each has its own list of approved foods, it's good to know fresh produce, like nutritious, delicious California Avocados, will always be on the list, fitting into a variety of healthy eating patterns.

California Avocados are in season from spring through summer and in style any time, sort of like your favorite summer outfit! You know you can rock it 100 percent of the time and it will always make you feel like a million bucks. Just like that outfit, California Avocados truly are the superfood that fits!

Okay, now back to that party. Let's talk for a minute about the benefits of wholesome California Avocados and how Mother Nature's perfect goodness will please every palate! Did you know that California Avocados are virtually the only fruit that contains monounsaturated fat (aka, the good fat)? Replacing saturated or trans fats with unsaturated fats is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Guests looking to follow that low-sodium diet can rest easy knowing that California Avocados are not only sodium-free, but also cholesterol- and trans-fat free. They are also naturally low-carb, making them a heart-healthy, tasty treat for your guests watching their carb intake.

Plus, California Avocados are naturally free of the eight major food allergens which include the following as identified by FDA: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soybeans. They also make an excellent replacement for butter in baked foods which those guests with a milk allergy or intolerance would typically have to avoid. The addition of California Avocado to the recipe also may increase satiety because of the fiber content. Fiber adds bulk to the diet and can leave individuals feeling full faster and satisfied longer!

Now that you know how California Avocados are the food that fits all of your guests' dietary lifestyles and restrictions, let's take a quick look at how to plan your menu!

My simple rule of thumb when feeding guests (or myself for that matter!) is to think about offering foods that include a source of protein, a complex carbohydrate and a heart-healthy unsaturated fat. Cooking with love and this trio of foods will ensure your guests are satiated and satisfied.

To satisfy the vegetarian, low-sodium, nut-free guests, I highly recommend checking out this Mediterranean Falafel Bowl! It's filled with California Avocados, chickpeas and leafy greens, making it the perfect satisfying bowl to prep ahead and serve in mini bowls, too!

To appease the vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free guests at brunch, I totally encourage you to whip up this Tofu-Vegetable & Avocado Scramble. Serve it alongside baked corn tortilla chips for a fun grab-and-go option in little cups!

For a crowd pleaser for the low-carb group, try these California Avocado Cucumber Cups.
They make a perfectly portable appetizer too!

Not "feeling" any of these options. Don't worry! California Avocados have your back. Take a look here and browse through the almost 1,000 recipes to create your menu, including many Dietitian Approved recipes!

Pick up Fresh California Avocados at your local retailer this season (remember they're available spring through summer) and relish in the joy of being the hostess with the mostest as you offer your guests the food that fits all their lifestyles!

Elizabeth Shaw

Liz is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Personal Trainer in San Diego, California. She owns a nutrition consulting business in which she works with brands to help disseminate key health messaging to practitioners and consumers at large via national speaking, TV segments, and through her strong social media presence. Liz also runs a maternal health private practice in which she specializes in fertility nutrition. She is an author of the Fertility Foods Cookbook published last fall and a blogger at both Shaw's Simple Swaps and Bumps to Baby. Liz is a freelance writer and serves as a nutrition expert for many national publications, such as Shape, Women's Health, Men's Health, Muscle and Performance, Fit Pregnancy, Parents and others. Her current position has led her to what she loves most, educating the public at large about the importance of nutrition and health in daily life while connecting individually with those struggling to build their families. Helping to empower others through nutrition is truly what brings Liz joy!

Liz is a registered dietitian nutritionist for the California Avocado Commission. Their content on the California Avocado Commission website and/or blog are part of their partnership with our organization.

Property Pay off Tips

Tue, 27 Aug 2019 13:09:00 EST

This infographic is attributed to Synergy Builders, and the original version can be found here.

Plants that thrive in your bathroom.

Tue, 27 Aug 2019 13:07:00 EST

This infographic is attributed to Modern Bathroom, and the original version can be found here.

Meet your Avocado Grower Sal Dominguez

Thu, 08 Aug 2019 13:57:00 EST

https://youtu.be/WU-peIjDQjc

Seller Tips for Today!

Thu, 08 Aug 2019 13:55:00 EST

California housing affordability dips in second quarter 2019, C.A.R. reports

Thu, 08 Aug 2019 13:52:00 EST

For release:
August 7, 2019

California housing affordability dips in second quarter 2019, C.A.R. reports

Thirty percent of California households could afford to purchase the $608,660 median-priced home in the second quarter of 2019, down from 32 percent in first-quarter 2019 but up from 26 percent a year ago.
A minimum annual income of $122,960 was needed to make monthly payments of $3,070, including principal, interest and taxes on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage at a 4.17 percent interest rate.
Forty percent of home buyers were able to purchase the $475,000 median-priced condo or townhome. An annual income of $95,960 was required to make a monthly payment of $2,400.

LOS ANGELES (Aug. 7) – Higher home prices negated the lowest interest rates in more than a year and reduced Californians' ability to afford a home purchase in the second quarter of 2019, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS^® (C.A.R.) said today.

The percentage of home buyers who could afford to purchase a median-priced, existing single-family home in California in second-quarter 2019 dipped to 30 percent from 32 percent in the first quarter of 2019 but was up from 26 percent in the second quarter a year ago, according to C.A.R.'s Traditional Housing Affordability Index (HAI). California's housing affordability index hit a peak of 56 percent in the second quarter of 2012.

C.A.R.'s HAI measures the percentage of all households that can afford to purchase a median-priced, single-family home in California. C.A.R. also reports affordability indices for regions and select counties within the state. The index is considered the most fundamental measure of housing well-being for home buyers in the state.

A minimum annual income of $122,960 was needed to qualify for the purchase of a $608,660 statewide median-priced, existing single-family home in the second quarter of 2019. The monthly payment, including taxes and insurance on a 30-year, fixed-rate loan, would be $3,070, assuming a 20 percent down payment and an effective composite interest rate of 4.17 percent. The effective composite interest rate was 4.62 percent in first-quarter 2019 and 4.70 percent in second-quarter 2018.

Housing affordability for condominiums and townhomes also slipped in first-quarter 2019 compared to the previous quarter, with 40 percent of California households earning the minimum income to qualify for the purchase of a $475,000 median-priced condominium/townhome, down from 41 percent in the previous quarter. An annual income of $95,960 was required to make monthly payments of $2,400. Thirty-six percent of households could afford to buy a condominium/townhome a year ago.

Compared with California, more than half of the nation's households (55 percent) could afford to purchase a $279,600 median-priced home, which required a minimum annual income of $56,480 to make monthly payments of $1,410.

Key points from the second-quarter 2019 Housing Affordability report include:

When compared to a year ago, housing affordability improved in 42 tracked counties and declined in five counties. Affordability remained flat in one county.
In the San Francisco Bay Area, affordability improved from second-quarter 2018 in every county. San Francisco County was the least affordable, with just 17 percent of households able to purchase the $1,700,000 median-priced home. Forty-six percent of Solano County households could afford the $445,000 median-priced home, making it the most affordable Bay Area county.
Affordability also improved in all Southern California regions, with Orange County being the least affordable (24 percent) and San Bernardino County being the most affordable (50 percent).
In the Central Valley region, only Kern County experienced a decline in affordability from a year ago, decreasing from 53 percent in second-quarter 2018 to 50 percent in second-quarter 2019. San Benito County (35 percent) was the least affordable and Kings County (55 percent) was the most affordable.
Housing affordability improved in three counties in the Central Coast region — Monterey, San Luis Obispo and Santa Cruz — and was unchanged in one, Santa Barbara.
During the second quarter of 2019, the most affordable counties in California were Lassen (63 percent), Kings (55 percent) and Madera (51 percent). The minimum annual income needed to qualify for a home in these counties was less than $60,000.
Mono (15 percent), San Francisco (17 percent), Santa Cruz (17 percent) and San Mateo (18 percent) counties were the least affordable areas in the state. San Francisco and San Mateo counties required the highest minimum qualifying incomes in the state. An annual income of $343,420 was needed to purchase a home in San Francisco County, and an annual income of $338,870 was required in San Mateo County.

See C.A.R.'s historical housing affordability data.
See first-time buyer housing affordability data.

Leading the way…^® in California real estate for more than 110 years, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (www.car.org) is one of the largest state trade organizations in the United States with more than 200,000 members dedicated to the advancement of professionalism in real estate. C.A.R. is headquartered in Los Angeles.

# # #

CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS^®
Traditional Housing Affordability Index
Second quarter 2019

STATE/REGION/COUNTY	2^nd Qtr. 2019	1^st Qtr. 2019	2^nd Qtr. 2018	Median Home Price	Monthly Payment Including Taxes & Insurance	Minimum Qualifying Income
Calif. Single-family home	30	32	26	$608,660	$3,070	$122,960
Calif. Condo/Townhome	40	41	36	$475,000	$2,400	$95,960
Los Angeles Metro Area	32	33	29	$540,000	$2,730	$109,090
Inland Empire	42	42	41	$380,000	$1,920	$76,760
San Francisco Bay Area	24	26	18	$980,000	$4,950	$197,970
United States	55	57	53	$279,600	$1,410	$56,480

San Francisco Bay Area
Alameda	23	25	16	$950,000	$4,800	$191,910
Contra Costa	35	37	29	$690,000	$3,480	$139,390
Marin	21	21	18	$1,381,250	$6,980	$279,030
Napa	28	29	25	$710,000	$3,590	$143,430
San Francisco	17	17	14	$1,700,000	$8,580	$343,420
San Mateo	18	18	14	$1,677,500	$8,470	$338,870
Santa Clara	20	20	16	$1,330,000	$6,720	$268,680
Solano	46	46	38	$445,000	$2,250	$89,900
Sonoma	28	27	20	$660,000	$3,330	$133,330
Southern California
Los Angeles	29	28	26	$567,010	$2,860	$114,540
Orange	24	24	20	$835,000	$4,220	$168,680
Riverside	39	39	37	$420,000	$2,120	$84,840
San Bernardino	50	50	49	$310,000	$1,570	$62,620
San Diego	27	27	23	$655,000	$3,310	$132,320
Ventura	30	29	28	$650,000	$3,280	$131,300
Central Coast
Monterey	24	25	19	$630,000	$3,180	$127,270
San Luis Obispo	25	26	22	$640,000	$3,230	$129,290
Santa Barbara	20	25	20	$724,500	$3,660	$146,360
Santa Cruz	17	17	12	$937,500	$4,740	$189,390
Central Valley
Fresno	48	48	46	$279,920	$1,410	$56,550
Kern	50	50	53	$255,000	$1,290	$51,510
Kings	55	57	50	$250,000	$1,260	$50,500
Madera	51	52	48	$277,000	$1,400	$55,960
Merced	47	46	42	$282,000	$1,420	$56,970
Placer	45	46	41	$514,950	$2,600	$104,030
Sacramento	44	44	41	$385,000	$1,940	$77,770
San Benito	35	31	30	$571,500	$2,880	$115,330
San Joaquin	44	43	38	$380,000	$1,920	$76,760
Stanislaus	48	47	45	$325,250	$1,640	$65,700
Tulare	50	51	48	$247,500	$1,250	$50,000
Other Calif. Counties
Amador	NA	NA	44	NA	NA	NA
Butte	35	34	38	$370,000	$1,870	$74,740
Calaveras	46	47	43	$343,000	$1,730	$69,290
El Dorado	40	40	38	$519,500	$2,620	$104,940
Humboldt	37	36	33	$320,000	$1,610	$64,570
Lake	44	44	37	$267,000	$1,350	$53,820
Lassen	63	63	64	$204,000	$1,030	$41,080
Mariposa	45	41	39	$300,000	$1,510	$60,350
Mendocino	29	28	22	$400,000	$2,010	$80,380
Mono	15	10	14	$699,500	$3,510	$140,410
Nevada	40	40	32	$419,000	$2,100	$84,020
Plumas	37	48	42	$367,390	$1,840	$73,600
Shasta	47	44	46	$281,000	$1,410	$56,230
Siskiyou	49	53	48	$232,500	$1,160	$46,480
Sutter	46	46	45	$312,500	$1,560	$62,400
Tehama	47	43	51	$244,000	$1,220	$48,680
Tuolumne	48	45	43	$300,000	$1,490	$59,790
Yolo	40	39	33	$455,000	$2,260	$90,590
Yuba	46	46	45	$305,000	$1,520	$60,660

11 tips for Sellers

Fri, 12 Jul 2019 12:24:00 EST

Sharing some tips for sellers when it comes to selling your house! The best thing to do today is to call Sunshine Properties Real Estate, we have professionals ready and available to help you sell your house or land. 760-728-8855

HOW TO CUT AN AVOCADO SAFELY

Wed, 26 Jun 2019 14:47:00 EST

HOW TO CUT AN AVOCADO SAFELY

Dzung Duong 01 / 31 / 2019

If you've been removing an avocado seed by striking it with a knife, you may be putting yourself at risk of an injury. While it may seem quick and easy to remove an avocado seed with a knife in your hand, it's not the safest way. I'll help you understand a safer way to handle your avocados while maximizing the nutrition you can get from them!

Cutting any food in your hand is never a good idea. It only takes one slip of the knife or an avocado to cause serious injury. As the popularity of avocados continues to grow, so have the reports of these injuries - now widely known as "avocado hand."

To avoid such injury, the most effective way to approach cutting your avocado is as follows:

Select your ripe avocado and wash. If you need help ripening avocados, see this link.
Wash the avocado thoroughly, dry and then place on the cutting board.
Carefully cut the avocado in half length-wise around the seed, with the fruit flat on the cutting board.
Rotate the avocado ¼ turn and cut length-wise around the seed, creating ¼ avocado segments. Put down your knife.
By separating the quarters, you can remove the seed seamlessly with your fingertips!

Now let's talk about how to maximize the nutrition of an avocado. When scooping the fruit out with a spoon, you might miss the fruit's most nutrient dense part - closest to the skin. Though all of the avocado pulp/flesh is good for you, try peeling your avocados instead. This reveals the beneficial plant pigment or dark green fruit closest to the skin where you get the greatest concentration of "carotenoids". It's nutritious and delicious!

Other helpful articles:

Dzung Duong

Honeysuckle is a food and lifestyle channel hosted by Dzung Duong whose dedication to simplifying gourmet recipes, lifestyle design, and responsible beauty has allowed her to grow into a YouTube sensation. Dzung has been cooking since she was 8 years-old, when her grandmother taught her authentic Vietnamese recipes with a twist. Her exceptional content, produced with a playful edge, has made her channel a destination with a full video production business, which she runs with her business partner husband. Her most viral videos include 25 epic toast ideas, the 45-second breakfast sandwich, and decadent Nutella filled cookies. Her mission is: to "inspire young women across the globe to use food and lifestyle choices to develop creativity, self-confidence and community in everyday life." She and her husband live in Los Angeles with their 1 year old daughter, Erisy, and border collie.

Dzung is a brand advocate. Their content on the California Avocado Commission website and/or blog is part of their partnership with our organization.

6 Tips for Selling Your San Diego County Home Fast This Summer

Wed, 26 Jun 2019 14:41:00 EST

6 Tips for Selling Your San Diego County Home Fast This Summer

By Susan Mackey

Source

Summer is a hot time on the real estate market in San Diego County. It's the time when most families are looking to move, and also when the competition to sell homes heats up. As a homeowner, you want to do everything you can to make your house stand out. If you've got time to wait for the perfect offer, great! But if you need to get out of town as soon as possible, check out these six tips for selling your home fast this summer.

1. Keep It Green

A lush lawn will not only raise the curb appeal of your home, it will also draw people to your doorstep. A beautiful landscape shows potential buyers you care about upkeep. A proper summer lawn care routine includes mowing, watering, and applying a quick release fertilizer will keep the lawn green. Outdoor living space is in high demand in the San Diego area since people want a comfortable place to enjoy the sunshine. Making sure the outside looks as nice as the inside is essential.

2. Know the Value

You want the highest price for your house, but knowing what your home is worth is vital when pricing it. Your real estate agent will help, but it's good to check out other homes in your neighborhood to stay competitive. Pricing too high will stall the selling process. Take the emotion out of the process, so you don't end up dropping the price too much when it comes time to negotiate.

3. Stage Exterior Areas

Outdoor living spaces extend the useable square footage of your home. Staging these areas for ultimate comfort and style is an excellent way to sell your home fast this summer. Place some comfortable outdoor furniture on the patio along with side tables to show how relaxing the backyard can be. An umbrella to provide shade will help showcase the deck or patio even on the warmer days. Finally, clean up any clutter. Garden tools and kids' toys need to be stored away.

4. Plant Color

Most landscapes in the San Diego area are beautiful but consider bumping up your yard to the next level with some pops of color. Native flowers, like Showy Penstemon and Brittlebush, are great to use since they will attract butterflies and honey bees. They also require little maintenance or water.something your real estate agent will be happy to point out at your first open house! Place a few pots of flowers around the patio or plant a row of them along the main walkway. The more colorful, the better to make your home stand out.

5. Hire Some Help

You'll have a lot of people walking through your home when you put it on the market. Make sure that your home is always clean and in top condition. Consider hiring some help with indoor and outdoor maintenance. Hiring a temporary housekeeper to come in once a week to keep things clean will be well worth the investment. A local landscaper can trim the lawn and pull any new weeds that pop up, making sure the yard's always looking pristine. A handyman can help by painting the front door and touching up the trim. Having your home ready at a moment's notice is essential to getting more showings and more offers.

6. Take Down Personal Items

Many real estate agents will tell you to take down the personal items within your home. Buyers want to picture their belongings in the house. Family photos and knickknacks should go into storage. Put a few pieces of furniture into storage as well to make the rooms look more spacious. Making your home inviting and warm is essential and easy to do with some generic items that could belong to anyone.

You want your home to be as green as possible to bring in as much green as possible! Proper landscaping can bring in as much as 12 percent more on that final offer. These six tips will help you sell your home fast and for top dollar.

Susan Mackey is an interior designer and home stager as well as a freelance writer who focuses on the latest home fashion trends. She loves taking older homes and turning them into the envy of the neighborhood.

Rachael Baihn

California housing affordability climbs in first quarter 2019, C.A.R. reports

Fri, 14 Jun 2019 18:03:00 EST

California housing affordability climbs in first quarter 2019, C.A.R. reports

Thirty-two percent of California households could afford to purchase the $545,820 median-priced home in the first quarter of 2019, up from 28 percent in fourth-quarter 2018 and up from 31 percent a year ago.
A minimum annual income of $114,860 was needed to make monthly payments of $2,870, including principal, interest and taxes on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage at a 4.62 percent interest rate.
Forty-one percent of home buyers were able to purchase the $450,000 median-priced condo or townhome. An annual income of $94,690 was required to make a monthly payment of $2,370.

click to view

LOS ANGELES (May 14) – More Californians could afford to purchase a home in the first quarter of 2019 as lower mortgage interest rates and cooler seasonal home prices combined with higher income levels to improve California housing affordability, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS^® (C.A.R.) said today.

The percentage of home buyers who could afford to purchase a median-priced, existing single-family home in California in first-quarter 2019 rose to 32 percent from 28 percent in the fourth quarter of 2018 and from 31 percent in the first quarter a year ago, according to C.A.R.'s Traditional Housing Affordability Index (HAI). The index climbed above 30 percent for the first time in a year. California's housing affordability index hit a peak of 56 percent in the first quarter of 2012.

A minimum annual income of $114,860 was needed to qualify for the purchase of a $545,820 statewide median-priced, existing single-family home in the first quarter of 2019. The monthly payment, including taxes and insurance on a 30-year, fixed-rate loan, would be $2,870, assuming a 20 percent down payment and an effective composite interest rate of 4.62 percent. The effective composite interest rate was 4.95 percent in fourth-quarter 2018 and 4.44 percent in first-quarter 2018.

Housing affordability for condominiums and townhomes also improved in first-quarter 2019 compared to the previous quarter, with 41 percent of California households earning the minimum income to qualify for the purchase of a $450,000 median-priced condominium/townhome, up from 37 percent in the previous quarter. An annual income of $94,690 was required to make monthly payments of $2,370. Thirty-nine percent of households could afford to buy a condominium/townhome a year ago.

Compared with California, more than half of the nation's households (57 percent) could afford to purchase a $254,800 median-priced home, which required a minimum annual income of $53,620 to make monthly payments of $1,340.

Key points from the first-quarter 2019 Housing Affordability report include:

Housing affordability improved from first-quarter 2018 in 28 tracked counties and declined in 16 counties. Affordability in four counties remained flat.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, affordability improved from a year ago in every county. San Francisco County was the least affordable, with just 17 percent of households able to purchase the $1,532,500 median-priced home. Forty-six percent of Solano County households could afford the $430,500 median-priced home, making it the most affordable Bay Area county.

Affordability results in the Southern California region were mixed as only Orange and San Diego counties recorded an improvement from a year ago, while San Bernardino and Ventura counties experienced a decline. Affordability was unchanged in Los Angeles and Riverside counties.
In the Central Valley region, affordability held even from a year ago only in two counties — Fresno and Sacramento — and fell in three counties — Kern, San Benito and Stanislaus. Kings, Madera, Merced, Placer, San Joaquin and Tulare counties recorded improvements.
Housing affordability improved in all four counties in the Central Coast region, which includes Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz counties.
During the first quarter of 2019, the most affordable counties in California were Lassen (63 percent), Kings (57 percent) and Siskiyou (53 percent). The minimum annual income needed to qualify for a home in these counties was $47,340 or less.
Mono (10 percent), San Francisco (17 percent), Santa Cruz (17 percent) and San Mateo (18 percent) counties were the least affordable areas in the state. San Francisco and San Mateo counties required the highest minimum qualifying incomes in the state. An annual income of $322,480 was needed to purchase a home in San Francisco County, and an annual income of $323,010 was required in San Mateo County.

See C.A.R.'s historical housing affordability data.

See first-time buyer housing affordability data.

# # #

CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
Traditional Housing Affordability Index
First quarter 2019

STATE/REGION/COUNTY	1^st Qtr. 2019	4^th Qtr. 2018		1^st Qtr. 2018		Median Home Price	Monthly Payment Including Taxes & Insurance	Minimum Qualifying Income
Calif. Single-family home	32	28		31		$545,820	$2,870	$114,860
Calif. Condo/Townhome	41	37		39		$450,000	$2,370	$94,690
Los Angeles Metro Area	33	30		32		$509,000	$2,680	$107,110
Inland Empire	42	40		43		$365,000	$1,920	$76,810
San Francisco Bay Area	26	22		23		$885,000	$4,660	$186,230
United States	57	54		57		$254,800	$1,340	$53,620

San Francisco Bay Area
Alameda	25	20		22		$865,000	$4,550	$182,020
Contra Costa	37	33		36		$630,000	$3,310	$132,570
Marin	21	19		18		$1,250,000	$6,580	$263,040
Napa	29	25		28		$672,500	$3,540	$141,510
San Francisco	17	15		15		$1,532,500	$8,060	$322,480
San Mateo	18	15		15		$1,535,000	$8,080	$323,010
Santa Clara	20	18		17		$1,220,000	$6,420	$256,720
Solano	46	39		42		$430,500	$2,260	$90,590
Sonoma	27	23		21		$632,500	$3,330	$133,100
Southern California
Los Angeles	28	24		28		$548,630	$2,890	$115,450
Orange	24	20		21		$800,000	$4,210	$168,340
Riverside	39	37		39		$409,000	$2,150	$86,070
San Bernardino	50	48		52		$299,950	$1,580	$63,120
San Diego	27	24		26		$620,000	$3,260	$130,470
Ventura	29	29		31		$630,240	$3,320	$132,620
Central Coast
Monterey	25	21		23		$585,000	$3,080	$123,100
San Luis Obispo	26	22		25		$602,000	$3,170	$126,680
Santa Barbara	25	26	R	22		$596,000	$3,140	$125,420
Santa Cruz	17	12		15		$902,500	$4,750	$189,910
Central Valley
Fresno	48	46		48	R	$272,500	$1,430	$57,340
Kern	50	53		56		$245,000	$1,290	$51,560
Kings	57	50		52		$224,950	$1,180	$47,340
Madera	52	47		49	R	$260,000	$1,370	$54,710
Merced	46	40		43		$275,000	$1,450	$57,870
Placer	46	42		44		$480,670	$2,530	$101,150
Sacramento	44	42		44		$360,000	$1,890	$75,750
San Benito	31	28		32		$610,000	$3,210	$128,360
San Joaquin	43	38		40		$365,000	$1,920	$76,810
Stanislaus	47	45		48		$314,000	$1,650	$66,070
Tulare	51	47		50		$232,000	$1,220	$48,820
Other Calif. Counties
Amador	NA	NA		45		NA	NA	NA
Butte	34	34		41		$361,100	$1,900	$75,990
Calaveras	47	45		46		$320,000	$1,680	$67,340
El Dorado	40	42		42		$489,000	$2,570	$102,900
Humboldt	36	33		36		$312,500	$1,640	$65,760
Lake	44	40		40		$255,000	$1,340	$53,660
Lassen	63	66		68		$197,000	$1,040	$41,450
Mariposa	41	38		44		$310,000	$1,630	$65,230
Mendocino	28	23		25		$385,500	$2,030	$81,120
Mono	10	12		8		$775,000	$4,080	$163,080
Nevada	40	35		37		$402,500	$2,120	$84,700
Plumas	48	42		47		$280,000	$1,470	$58,920
Shasta	44	45		49		$284,000	$1,490	$59,760
Siskiyou	53	50		48		$199,500	$1,050	$41,980
Sutter	46	44		49		$295,000	$1,550	$62,080
Tehama	43	46		51		$257,500	$1,350	$54,190
Tuolumne	45	48		49		$304,500	$1,600	$64,080
Yolo	39	37		41		$432,500	$2,280	$91,010
Yuba	46	44		49		$289,000	$1,520	$60,810

R = revised
NA = not available

For release:
May 14, 2019

California housing affordability climbs in first quarter 2019, C.A.R. reports

Thirty-two percent of California households could afford to purchase the $545,820 median-priced home in the first quarter of 2019, up from 28 percent in fourth-quarter 2018 and up from 31 percent a year ago.
A minimum annual income of $114,860 was needed to make monthly payments of $2,870, including principal, interest and taxes on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage at a 4.62 percent interest rate.
Forty-one percent of home buyers were able to purchase the $450,000 median-priced condo or townhome. An annual income of $94,690 was required to make a monthly payment of $2,370.

click to view

Key points from the first-quarter 2019 Housing Affordability report include:

Housing affordability improved from first-quarter 2018 in 28 tracked counties and declined in 16 counties. Affordability in four counties remained flat.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, affordability improved from a year ago in every county. San Francisco County was the least affordable, with just 17 percent of households able to purchase the $1,532,500 median-priced home. Forty-six percent of Solano County households could afford the $430,500 median-priced home, making it the most affordable Bay Area county.

Affordability results in the Southern California region were mixed as only Orange and San Diego counties recorded an improvement from a year ago, while San Bernardino and Ventura counties experienced a decline. Affordability was unchanged in Los Angeles and Riverside counties.
In the Central Valley region, affordability held even from a year ago only in two counties — Fresno and Sacramento — and fell in three counties — Kern, San Benito and Stanislaus. Kings, Madera, Merced, Placer, San Joaquin and Tulare counties recorded improvements.
Housing affordability improved in all four counties in the Central Coast region, which includes Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz counties.
During the first quarter of 2019, the most affordable counties in California were Lassen (63 percent), Kings (57 percent) and Siskiyou (53 percent). The minimum annual income needed to qualify for a home in these counties was $47,340 or less.
Mono (10 percent), San Francisco (17 percent), Santa Cruz (17 percent) and San Mateo (18 percent) counties were the least affordable areas in the state. San Francisco and San Mateo counties required the highest minimum qualifying incomes in the state. An annual income of $322,480 was needed to purchase a home in San Francisco County, and an annual income of $323,010 was required in San Mateo County.

See C.A.R.'s historical housing affordability data.

See first-time buyer housing affordability data.

# # #

CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
Traditional Housing Affordability Index
First quarter 2019

STATE/REGION/COUNTY	1^st Qtr. 2019	4^th Qtr. 2018		1^st Qtr. 2018		Median Home Price	Monthly Payment Including Taxes & Insurance	Minimum Qualifying Income
Calif. Single-family home	32	28		31		$545,820	$2,870	$114,860
Calif. Condo/Townhome	41	37		39		$450,000	$2,370	$94,690
Los Angeles Metro Area	33	30		32		$509,000	$2,680	$107,110
Inland Empire	42	40		43		$365,000	$1,920	$76,810
San Francisco Bay Area	26	22		23		$885,000	$4,660	$186,230
United States	57	54		57		$254,800	$1,340	$53,620

San Francisco Bay Area
Alameda	25	20		22		$865,000	$4,550	$182,020
Contra Costa	37	33		36		$630,000	$3,310	$132,570
Marin	21	19		18		$1,250,000	$6,580	$263,040
Napa	29	25		28		$672,500	$3,540	$141,510
San Francisco	17	15		15		$1,532,500	$8,060	$322,480
San Mateo	18	15		15		$1,535,000	$8,080	$323,010
Santa Clara	20	18		17		$1,220,000	$6,420	$256,720
Solano	46	39		42		$430,500	$2,260	$90,590
Sonoma	27	23		21		$632,500	$3,330	$133,100
Southern California
Los Angeles	28	24		28		$548,630	$2,890	$115,450
Orange	24	20		21		$800,000	$4,210	$168,340
Riverside	39	37		39		$409,000	$2,150	$86,070
San Bernardino	50	48		52		$299,950	$1,580	$63,120
San Diego	27	24		26		$620,000	$3,260	$130,470
Ventura	29	29		31		$630,240	$3,320	$132,620
Central Coast
Monterey	25	21		23		$585,000	$3,080	$123,100
San Luis Obispo	26	22		25		$602,000	$3,170	$126,680
Santa Barbara	25	26	R	22		$596,000	$3,140	$125,420
Santa Cruz	17	12		15		$902,500	$4,750	$189,910
Central Valley
Fresno	48	46		48	R	$272,500	$1,430	$57,340
Kern	50	53		56		$245,000	$1,290	$51,560
Kings	57	50		52		$224,950	$1,180	$47,340
Madera	52	47		49	R	$260,000	$1,370	$54,710
Merced	46	40		43		$275,000	$1,450	$57,870
Placer	46	42		44		$480,670	$2,530	$101,150
Sacramento	44	42		44		$360,000	$1,890	$75,750
San Benito	31	28		32		$610,000	$3,210	$128,360
San Joaquin	43	38		40		$365,000	$1,920	$76,810
Stanislaus	47	45		48		$314,000	$1,650	$66,070
Tulare	51	47		50		$232,000	$1,220	$48,820
Other Calif. Counties
Amador	NA	NA		45		NA	NA	NA
Butte	34	34		41		$361,100	$1,900	$75,990
Calaveras	47	45		46		$320,000	$1,680	$67,340
El Dorado	40	42		42		$489,000	$2,570	$102,900
Humboldt	36	33		36		$312,500	$1,640	$65,760
Lake	44	40		40		$255,000	$1,340	$53,660
Lassen	63	66		68		$197,000	$1,040	$41,450
Mariposa	41	38		44		$310,000	$1,630	$65,230
Mendocino	28	23		25		$385,500	$2,030	$81,120
Mono	10	12		8		$775,000	$4,080	$163,080
Nevada	40	35		37		$402,500	$2,120	$84,700
Plumas	48	42		47		$280,000	$1,470	$58,920
Shasta	44	45		49		$284,000	$1,490	$59,760
Siskiyou	53	50		48		$199,500	$1,050	$41,980
Sutter	46	44		49		$295,000	$1,550	$62,080
Tehama	43	46		51		$257,500	$1,350	$54,190
Tuolumne	45	48		49		$304,500	$1,600	$64,080
Yolo	39	37		41		$432,500	$2,280	$91,010
Yuba	46	44		49		$289,000	$1,520	$60,810

R = revised
NA = not available

A Profitable Investment: Growing Wealth Through Vacation Rental Income

Fri, 14 Jun 2019 17:59:00 EST

A Profitable Investment: Growing Wealth Through Vacation Rental Income

The proliferation of sites like Airbnb, VRBO, and HomeAway has given the U.S. private accommodations market a boost, making vacation rentals a popular option for vacationers who want something more to choose from than a hotel. That's created a strong real estate market for first-time investors looking to grow wealth. It can be a highly profitable investment if planned and managed carefully. Here are some factors to consider if you're considering purchasing a vacation rental property:

Location!

Location is what it's all about in real estate. Deciding where to buy can make or break your investment. You've probably been on enough vacations to know where people like to spend their hard-earned vacation dollars. Focus on properties set among beautiful natural surroundings (i.e. the beach, mountains, forestland, etc.) and near intriguing amenities and sites, which can make a vacation property near cities like San Diego, San Francisco, Los Angeles or New York a great investment.

Financing your investment

Carefully assess your financial situation and your creditworthiness to determine whether taking out a second mortgage is a viable move. Pay particular attention to your income if you're taking out a second mortgage because lenders scrutinize debt-to-income ratio. Be realistic about your available income: Is it sufficient for a two-mortgage arrangement? The next step is to select your best financing option, whether it's a conventional or short-term loan.

Project profitability

Once you've identified a desirable vacation spot, assess its value to ensure that your investment is a risk worth taking. Take advantage of online home value calculators like this Penny Mac home worth tool to give you an accurate picture of the profitability of a vacation home. You need to know whether you can afford a vacation property during periods of vacancy, so pay close attention to both vacancy rates and rental rates in the area to determine whether your potential monthly income will be enough to ensure adequate profit.

Don't forget to factor in costs like property and rental income taxes, utilities, maintenance upkeep, insurance and homeowner association fees (you can keep insurance premiums down by bundling your coverage and installing a security system). If the numbers don't indicate profitability, it's probably in your best interest to look elsewhere.

Value added

Always bear in mind that you'll be in direct competition with other real estate investors, people looking to create wealth just like you, so it's important to look for a location with built-in advantages and to add appealing amenities. Spend a week in the community where you want to buy so you're familiar with what there is to do, including attractions, activities and great places to eat. Vacationers are looking for a memorable experience in a property that has a lot to offer - the more value you can provide, the more appealing you'll be to potential guests.

Property management

If, like many real estate investors, you need someone to look after the place, it'll be necessary to find a reliable and experienced property manager, or a property management company. A property manager will be responsible for everything from emergency repairs to keeping the place clean for your guests. Vacation rental property management companies charge based on their service level. You can defray some of that cost by looking for things to manage yourself, like cleaning, unless you're too far away to make that possible.

A vacation rental can be a great investment if you're looking for a sustainable way to generate income and bolster your financial portfolio. Be diligent about location, and determine whether expenses, upkeep and projected occupancy rates add up to a truly profitable opportunity.

Courtesy of Pexels.com

Brittany Fisher
Creator and Head Writer at Financiallywell.info
brittany@financiallywell.info

California Avocado Growers: Meet Sal Dominquez

Fri, 17 May 2019 13:59:00 EST

https://youtu.be/WU-peIjDQjc

April 2019 Home Sale Stats

Fri, 17 May 2019 13:57:00 EST

California home sales stumble into spring home buying season as median price sets another record

- Existing, single-family home sales totaled 396,760 in April on a seasonally adjusted annualized rate, down 0.1 percent from March and down 4.8 percent from April 2018.

- April's statewide median home price was $602,920, up 6.5 percent from March and up 3.2 percent from April 2018.

- Sales of condominiums/townhomes were down 3.8 percent from a year ago in April, while the median price was $470,000.

- Year-to-date sales were down 7.3 percent in April.

Click here to view

LOS ANGELES (May 16) – California home sales remained muted entering the spring homebuying season as soft buyer demand continues to challenge the market, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS^® (C.A.R.) said today.

Closed escrow sales of existing, single-family detached homes in California totaled a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 396,760 units in April, according to information collected by C.A.R. from more than 90 local REALTOR^®associations and MLSs statewide. The statewide annualized sales figure represents what would be the total number of homes sold during 2019 if sales maintained the April pace throughout the year. It is adjusted to account for seasonal factors that typically influence home sales.

April's sales figure was down 0.1 percent from the 397,210 level in March and down 4.8 percent from home sales in April 2018 of 416,750. Sales remained below the 400,000 level for the ninth consecutive month and have fallen on a year-over-year basis for a full year.

"Weak buyer demand, largely prompted by elevated home prices, is playing a role in the softening housing market," said C.A.R. President Jared Martin. "However, with low interest rates, cooling competition and an increase in homes to choose from, buyers can take advantage of a more balanced housing market."

Even as demand weakened and home sales stumbled, the statewide median home price set another record high in April, hitting $602,920 and surpassing the previous high of $602,760 set last summer. April's price was up 6.5 percent from $565,880 in March and up 3.2 percent from a revised $584,460 in April 2018. The year-over-year price growth rate was the strongest since October 2018.

"While we started off the spring homebuying season on a down note, home sales in the upcoming months may fare better than the top-level numbers suggest," said C.A.R. Senior Vice President and Chief Economist Leslie Appleton-Young. "The year-over-year sales decrease was the smallest in nine months, and pending home sales increased for the second straight month after declining for more than two years. While we don't expect a sharp sales rebound, we also don't expect an acceleration in declines."

Other key points from C.A.R.'s April 2019 resale housing report include:

Sales dropped on a non-seasonally adjusted annual basis in all major regions, with the Central Valley region experiencing the smallest decline (0.4 percent) and the Inland Empire region recording the largest decrease (7.0 percent).
Non-seasonally adjusted sales in the San Francisco Bay Area were down 1.0 percent from April 2018. Alameda, Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo counties posted annual sales increases while Contra Costa, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma saw declines. Sales in Napa County were flat compared to a year ago.
The Los Angeles Metro region posted a non-seasonally adjusted year-over-year sales drop of 2 percent, with home sales declining in Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Sales improved from a year ago in Orange and Ventura counties.
The median home price increased from a year ago in all regions except the San Francisco Bay Area. Of the entire nine-county region, only Napa County posted an increase in April of 3.3 percent, while San Mateo, Santa Clara and Sonoma recorded the largest price declines of 9.5 percent, 7.7 percent and 5.8 percent, respectively.
Conversely, home prices rose on a year-to-year basis across Southern California, with the exception of Ventura County, which was down 2.3 percent. Price growth remains strongest in the Inland Empire, where homes are most affordable, with prices in both Riverside and San Bernardino counties increasing more than 5 percent.
In the Central Valley, home prices were up across the board, with overall prices for the region rising 1.8 percent from a year ago.
Home prices in the Central Coast region increased 5.7 percent on a year-over-year basis.
Encouragingly, the growth in active listings from the year prior decelerated for the fourth straight month. The number of homes available for sale increased only 10.8 percent from last April, but still enough to provide a much-needed supply of homes for sale. The growth in active listings has fallen from more than 30 percent at the end of 2018 suggesting that the market is becoming more balanced, rather than experiencing a full-scale exodus of sellers in California.
The Unsold Inventory Index (UII), which is a ratio of inventory over sales, dipped on a month-to-month basis but edged up on a year-over-year basis. The Unsold Inventory Index was 3.4 months in April, down from 3.6 months in March but up from 3.2 months in April 2018. The index measures the number of months it would take to sell the supply of homes on the market at the current sales rate. The jump in the UII from a year ago can be attributed to the moderate sales decline and the sharp increase in active listings.
The median number of days it took to sell a California single-family home is increasing. Time on market fell from 25 days in March to 21 days in April as the homebuying season got underway. However, it took a median number of 15 days to sell a home in April 2018.
C.A.R.'s statewide sales-price-to-list-price ratio* was 98.9 percent in April 2019 compared to 100 percent in April 2018.
The average statewide price per square foot** for an existing, single-family home statewide reached $290 in April 2019, up from $281 in April 2018. The April 2019 figure was the highest level since late 2007.
The 30-year, fixed-mortgage interest rate averaged 4.14 percent in April, down from 4.47 percent in April 2018, according to Freddie Mac. The five-year, adjustable mortgage interest rate increased in April to an average of 3.75 percent from 3.66 in April 2018.

Note: The County MLS median price and sales data in the tables are generated from a survey of more than 90 associations of REALTORS^®throughout the state and represent statistics of existing single-family detached homes only. County sales data are not adjusted to account for seasonal factors that can influence home sales. Movements in sales prices should not be interpreted as changes in the cost of a standard home. The median price is where half sold for more and half sold for less; medians are more typical than average prices, which are skewed by a relatively small share of transactions at either the lower-end or the upper-end. Median prices can be influenced by changes in cost, as well as changes in the characteristics and the size of homes sold. The change in median prices should not be construed as actual price changes in specific homes.

# # #

April 2019 County Sales and Price Activity
(Regional and condo sales data not seasonally adjusted)

April 2019	Median Sold Price of Existing Single-Family Homes						Sales
State/Region/County	April 2019	March 2019	April 2018		Price MTM% Chg	Price YTY% Chg	Sales MTM% Chg	Sales YTY% Chg
Calif. Single-family home	$602,920	$565,880	$584,460		6.5%	3.2%	-0.1%	-4.8%
Calif. Condo/Townhome	$470,000	$465,000	$471,500	r	1.1%	-0.3%	13.4%	-3.8%
Los Angeles Metro Area	$536,450	$517,000	$515,000		3.8%	4.2%	13.9%	-2.0%
Central Coast	$699,450	$645,000	$661,750		8.4%	5.7%	5.6%	-4.1%
Central Valley	$330,730	$325,000	$325,000		1.8%	1.8%	10.1%	-0.4%
Inland Empire	$378,240	$374,900	$360,000		0.9%	5.1%	6.8%	-7.0%
San Francisco Bay Area	$988,000	$940,000	$1,010,000	r	5.1%	-2.2%	17.8%	-1.0%


San Francisco Bay Area
Alameda	$940,000	$911,000	$969,300		3.2%	-3.0%	20.4%	2.4%
Contra Costa	$679,000	$644,000	$689,660		5.4%	-1.5%	11.8%	-4.8%
Marin	$1,350,000	$1,300,000	$1,385,000		3.8%	-2.5%	44.9%	2.9%
Napa	$705,000	$699,000	$682,500		0.9%	3.3%	44.6%	0.0%
San Francisco	$1,632,500	$1,637,500	$1,650,000		-0.3%	-1.1%	27.1%	16.1%
San Mateo	$1,601,000	$1,610,000	$1,770,000		-0.6%	-9.5%	22.5%	10.4%
Santa Clara	$1,315,000	$1,300,000	$1,425,000		1.2%	-7.7%	12.1%	-8.4%
Solano	$435,000	$438,500	$447,500		-0.8%	-2.8%	4.8%	-0.5%
Sonoma	$645,000	$633,750	$685,000		1.8%	-5.8%	29.0%	-2.0%
Southern California
Los Angeles	$544,170	$525,520	$528,550		3.5%	3.0%	18.2%	-0.1%
Orange	$825,000	$809,500	$818,000		1.9%	0.9%	17.1%	0.5%
Riverside	$423,000	$412,000	$400,000		2.7%	5.8%	7.4%	-6.5%
San Bernardino	$305,000	$309,950	$289,900		-1.6%	5.2%	5.8%	-7.7%
San Diego	$649,000	$623,800	$635,000		4.0%	2.2%	13.7%	2.4%
Ventura	$650,000	$640,000	$665,000		1.6%	-2.3%	27.8%	15.2%
Central Coast
Monterey	$600,000	$579,000	$607,750		3.6%	-1.3%	11.9%	-4.7%
San Luis Obispo	$650,000	$629,500	$597,505		3.3%	8.8%	9.5%	3.5%
Santa Barbara	$760,500	$555,000	$650,000		37.0%	17.0%	-8.9%	-4.0%
Santa Cruz	$977,750	$918,000	$899,000		6.5%	8.8%	15.4%	-15.0%
Central Valley
Fresno	$271,250	$280,000	$260,000		-3.1%	4.3%	6.1%	-6.5%
Glenn	$241,250	$250,000	$215,000		-3.5%	12.2%	-18.5%	69.2%
Kern	$250,000	$249,950	$235,000		0.0%	6.4%	12.9%	16.0%
Kings	$240,000	$232,000	$235,000		3.4%	2.1%	-10.5%	-23.8%
Madera	$271,950	$265,000	$244,000		2.6%	11.5%	43.7%	18.8%
Merced	$276,000	$275,000	$259,000		0.4%	6.6%	22.5%	22.5%
Placer	$498,500	$475,000	$489,000		4.9%	1.9%	13.1%	-4.7%
Sacramento	$385,000	$365,000	$369,000		5.5%	4.3%	12.2%	-6.8%
San Benito	$550,900	$610,000	$569,217		-9.7%	-3.2%	32.5%	-10.2%
San Joaquin	$375,000	$355,000	$374,990		5.6%	0.0%	11.2%	6.9%
Stanislaus	$319,500	$320,000	$306,000		-0.2%	4.4%	7.1%	1.1%
Tulare	$244,950	$230,000	$229,250		6.5%	6.8%	-7.5%	4.1%
Other Calif. Counties
Amador	NA	NA	$335,000		NA	NA	NA	NA
Butte	$360,000	$369,000	$316,000		-2.4%	13.9%	-27.3%	-4.3%
Calaveras	$340,000	$308,250	$340,000		10.3%	0.0%	-5.4%	-10.3%
Del Norte	$216,500	$253,025	$239,000		-14.4%	-9.4%	90.0%	-17.4%
El Dorado	$524,000	$506,165	$499,999		3.5%	4.8%	-1.3%	-20.2%
Humboldt	$305,000	$310,000	$309,000		-1.6%	-1.3%	0.9%	-1.7%
Lake	$262,400	$243,500	$285,000		7.8%	-7.9%	18.0%	-24.4%
Lassen	$200,950	$220,000	$155,500		-8.7%	29.2%	-4.8%	33.3%
Mariposa	$286,500	$277,500	$344,850		3.2%	-16.9%	20.0%	-29.4%
Mendocino	$418,500	$394,500	$430,000		6.1%	-2.7%	22.2%	25.7%
Mono	$717,250	$800,000	$520,000		-10.3%	37.9%	433.3%	128.6%
Nevada	$397,000	$412,500	$408,738		-3.8%	-2.9%	1.6%	12.7%
Plumas	$395,000	$287,500	$280,250		37.4%	40.9%	0.0%	116.7%
Shasta	$275,000	$285,000	$258,950		-3.5%	6.2%	-1.9%	0.0%
Siskiyou	$208,500	$205,000	$217,250		1.7%	-4.0%	-2.2%	29.4%
Sutter	$305,000	$310,000	$280,000		-1.6%	8.9%	11.5%	-9.3%
Tehama	$232,500	$315,000	$210,000		-26.2%	10.7%	-6.1%	12.2%
Tuolumne	$316,000	$315,000	$305,000		0.3%	3.6%	18.0%	-15.3%
Yolo	$419,330	$450,000	$495,000		-6.8%	-15.3%	21.8%	-8.8%
Yuba	$268,000	$290,000	$285,000		-7.6%	-6.0%	1.4%	-6.3%

r = revised

NA = not available

April 2019 County Unsold Inventory and Days on Market
(Regional and condo sales data not seasonally adjusted)

April 2019	Unsold Inventory Index			Median Time on Market
State/Region/County	April 2019	March 2019	April 2018	April 2019	March 2019	April 2018
Calif. Single-family home	3.4	3.6	3.2	21.0	25.0	15.0
Calif. Condo/Townhome	3.1	3.3	2.4	22.0	24.0	12.0
Los Angeles Metro Area	3.9	4.1	3.6	30.0	33.0	21.0
Central Coast	4.3	4.1	3.9	23.0	26.0	17.5
Central Valley	3.0	3.0	2.8	16.0	22.0	13.0
Inland Empire	4.1	4.2	3.7	37.0	42.0	29.0
San Francisco Bay Area	2.6	2.6	2.1	15.0	16.0	12.0	r

San Francisco Bay Area
Alameda	2.0	2.2	1.7	13.0	13.0	10.0
Contra Costa	2.7	2.6	2.1	13.0	14.0	11.0
Marin	3.1	3.8	2.7	24.0	28.0	22.0
Napa	5.8	6.8	4.3	49.5	73.0	37.5
San Francisco	1.6	1.8	1.9	15.0	14.0	14.0
San Mateo	2.0	2.2	1.9	12.0	13.0	10.0
Santa Clara	2.4	2.3	1.6	11.0	12.0	8.0
Solano	3.0	2.8	2.6	33.0	37.0	29.0
Sonoma	4.0	4.1	3.0	33.5	43.5	33.0
Southern California
Los Angeles	3.5	3.8	3.3	24.0	25.0	17.0
Orange	3.8	4.3	3.5	21.0	25.0	14.0
Riverside	4.1	4.3	3.6	39.0	44.0	29.0
San Bernardino	4.1	4.1	3.9	35.0	40.0	28.0
San Diego	3.1	3.4	3.0	17.0	19.0	11.0
Ventura	4.9	5.8	5.5	47.0	51.0	39.0
Central Coast
Monterey	4.0	4.2	3.8	27.0	27.0	22.0
San Luis Obispo	4.5	4.5	4.3	22.0	33.0	19.5
Santa Barbara	4.8	3.9	4.5	27.0	26.0	20.5
Santa Cruz	3.6	3.6	2.7	14.0	20.0	11.0
Central Valley
Fresno	3.4	3.4	2.8	17.0	26.0	12.0
Glenn	3.8	2.8	6.1	20.5	45.0	16.0
Kern	2.8	3.0	3.5	12.0	21.0	19.0
Kings	4.6	3.8	2.9	24.0	34.0	16.0
Madera	4.3	6.1	4.9	36.0	37.0	19.0
Merced	3.8	4.3	4.1	26.0	55.0	28.0
Placer	2.8	2.7	2.5	14.0	17.5	10.0
Sacramento	2.2	2.3	2.2	11.0	18.0	10.0
San Benito	3.4	4.0	2.5	31.0	63.0	13.0
San Joaquin	3.0	3.2	2.8	17.0	22.0	12.0
Stanislaus	2.7	2.8	2.7	20.0	23.0	13.0
Tulare	3.7	3.3	3.8	28.0	32.0	23.0
Other Calif. Counties
Amador	NA	NA	5.3	NA	NA	16.0
Butte	2.7	1.8	3.2	7.0	9.0	9.0
Calaveras	6.4	5.0	5.7	28.0	53.5	28.0
Del Norte	6.6	12.4	5.3	162.0	140.0	145.0
El Dorado	5.3	4.2	3.5	30.0	32.5	20.0
Humboldt	4.9	4.5	5.0	28.5	44.0	22.0
Lake	8.3	8.8	6.0	54.0	80.5	39.5
Lassen	6.4	5.2	10.5	96.0	90.0	137.0
Mariposa	10.1	10.4	6.8	129.0	31.0	18.0	r
Mendocino	10.0	11.1	12.7	73.0	81.0	70.0
Mono	4.6	22.7	10.6	209.0	71.0	170.0
Nevada	4.6	3.9	4.7	43.5	44.5	22.5
Plumas	11.5	9.2	22.0	153.5	129.0	178.5
Shasta	4.2	3.7	4.4	26.0	40.0	22.0
Siskiyou	6.7	5.8	7.8	70.5	82.0	25.0
Sutter	2.5	2.5	2.9	19.5	14.0	32.0
Tehama	4.5	3.7	5.0	38.0	43.0	55.0
Tuolumne	5.5	5.4	3.8	46.0	76.5	23.0
Yolo	2.7	3.0	2.1	17.0	27.0	10.0
Yuba	2.8	2.8	3.0	12.0	19.0	17.0

r = revised

NA = not available

Why working with a Real Estate Agent benefits for you.

Fri, 17 May 2019 13:54:00 EST

This morning I would like to share with you a pin I found on pinterest. When you are ready to sell your home or land call Sunshine Properties Real Estate they're is always a Realtor ready and available to help. We are open 7 days a week! 760-728-8855

California REALTORS® Back Gov. Gavin Newsom's Housing Proposal

Fri, 19 Apr 2019 14:34:00 EST

March 13, 2019

California REALTORS® Back Gov. Gavin Newsom's Housing Proposal

SACRAMENTO – The CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) today announced its support of Gov. Gavin Newsom's new legislative proposals to address the housing supply crisis. C.A.R. and its membership of more than 200,000 real estate professionals is encouraged by Gov. Newsom's continued leadership to address the housing shortage head on with bold and innovative ideas that will help put California on the right track to increase supply and protect homeownership.

"Gov. Newsom's legislative proposals demonstrate his steadfast commitment to digging California out of its dire housing crisis," said C.A.R. President Jared Martin. "California's future depends on addressing and solving the housing shortage and this plan provides a strong roadmap to get us there."

The governor's plan, rolled out on Monday, is part of his broader $1.75 billion housing crisis package for 2019. Monday's recommendations call for higher short-term statewide housing goals established by the California Department of Housing and Community Development, $250 million to help cities and counties with planning, $500 million in housing production incentive grants for local governments, $500 million for expanding the State Housing Tax Credit Program to spur middle-class housing production and modernizing long-term Regional Housing Need Allocation (RHNA) goals by 2022. The plan would also provide necessary accountability by withholding SB 1 gas tax funds from jurisdictions that are not compliant with the updated RHNA goals.

"The emphasis on increasing the housing supply through higher short-term production goals and reformed long-term housing goals paired with an essential level of accountability creates a sustainable pathway to achieving the governor's bold vision to 'build housing for all.' REALTORS® look forward to continuing to work with Gov. Newsom and the Legislature to advance these proposals in the coming months," Martin continued.

The governor's most recent announcement, along with bills that C.A.R. announced its sponsorship of earlier this week, continue the needed momentum to prioritize increasing housing supply as the solution to California's housing shortage.

# # #

AVOCADO DECISION SUPPORT TOOLS

Fri, 19 Apr 2019 14:32:00 EST

The California Avocado Decision Support Tools System (DST) provides California avocado growers with online decision support tools to help guide them through grove management decisions concerning fertilization and irrigation to maximize yield.

YIELD POTENTIAL CALCULATOR

The Yield Potential Calculator was developed based on years of plant tissue sampling research conducted by the University of California to determine optimal leaf nutrient values for maximum avocado yield. By entering specific grove yield, on/off yield, scion/rootstock variety and leaf tissue analysis values, growers can generate a report that will indicate how much reduction from maximum yield a nutrient deficiency or excess is causing. The report also ranks, in order of importance, how critical each nutrient deficiency or excess is to yield to help growers determine which nutrient issues to address first.

IRRIGATION CALCULATOR

The Irrigation Calculator generates irrigation system-specific run times by week based on the California Irrigation Management Information System (CIMIS) predicted and actual evapotranspiration rates, your grove age, tree spacing and irrigation system. The system also allows growers to download detailed and summary reports for your records.

These tools are available once you create an account and login. To create an account, you will need your CAC Grower ID number. If you need assistance locating your CAC Grower ID, please contact CAC at 949.341.1955.

March home sales and price report

Fri, 19 Apr 2019 14:30:00 EST

April 16, 2019

California home sales, median price moderate in March, C.A.R. reports

- Existing, single-family home sales totaled 397,210 in March on a seasonally adjusted annualized rate, down 0.2 percent from February and down 6.3 percent from March 2018.

- March's statewide median home price was $565,880, down 5.9 percent from February and up 0.2 percent from March 2018.

- The Unsold Inventory Index was 3.6 months in March, down from 4.6 months in February but up from 2.9 months in March 2018.

- Year-to-date sales were down 8.2 percent in March.

click to view

LOS ANGELES (April 16) – The lowest interest rates in more than a year boosted California's housing market and kept home sales level in March after an exceptionally strong performance the previous month, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS^® (C.A.R.) said today.

Closed escrow sales of existing, single-family detached homes in California totaled a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 397,210 units in March, according to information collected by C.A.R. from more than 90 local REALTOR^®associations and MLSs statewide. The statewide annualized sales figure represents what would be the total number of homes sold during 2019 if sales maintained the March pace throughout the year. It is adjusted to account for seasonal factors that typically influence home sales.

March's sales figure was down 0.2 percent from the revised 398,040 level in February and down 6.3 percent from home sales in March 2018 of 423,990.

"The lowest interest rates in more than a year gave would-be buyers the confidence to enter the housing market and provided a much-needed push to jump-start the spring homebuying season," said C.A.R. President Jared Martin. "Pending sales also showed healthy improvement in March, which suggests a brighter market outlook could be in place in the second quarter."

After hitting the lowest level in 12 months in February 2019, the statewide median home price bounced back and reached the highest point since October 2018. The statewide median home price rose 5.9 percent to $565,880 in March from $534,140 in February and was up 0.2 percent from a revised $564,820 in March 2018.

"The median price has been softening since it reached a peak last summer, and March's year-over-year price increase was the smallest in seven years," said C.A.R. Senior Vice President and Chief Economist Leslie Appleton-Young. "The flattening home prices, coupled with low mortgage rates, bode well for housing affordability and may bring more buyers who may have given up back to the market."

Other key points from C.A.R.'s March 2019 resale housing report include:

Sales dropped on a non-seasonally adjusted annual basis in all major regions, with double-digit sales declines in the Los Angeles Metro, Inland Empire regions and San Francisco Bay Area while the Central Coast and Central Valley regions experienced single-digit declines.
Non-seasonally adjusted sales in the San Francisco Bay Area were down 10.8 percent from March 2018. Home sales in all of the nine Bay Area counties fell from a year ago, especially in Napa and Sonoma counties, which suffered the largest decreases.
The Los Angeles Metro region posted a non-seasonally adjusted year-over-year sales drop of 12 percent, with home sales falling in every county. Ventura had the biggest decline in sales, while San Diego dropped the least.
Home sales in the Inland Empire declined 10.4 percent from a year ago as Riverside and San Bernardino counties posted annual sales declines of 9.3 percent and 12.2 percent, respectively.
At the regional level, the median home price increased in Southern California and the Central Valley region while dipping in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Central Coast regions. On a year-over-year basis, the Bay Area median price dipped 4.1 percent from March 2018. The decline was the largest year-over-year drop since January 2012 and the first back-to-back decrease since early 2012. Only Napa County recorded an annual price increase.
In the Southern California region, home prices increased in San Bernardino, Riverside and Ventura while they declined in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties.
Active listings continued to climb from the prior year, increasing 13.4 percent from last March. It was the 12th consecutive month active listings rose year-over-year and the ninth month in a row they grew double digits from the prior year. The pace of increase, however, was the slowest since July 2018, and the growth rate has been decelerating since December 2018.
The Unsold Inventory Index (UII), which is a ratio of inventory over sales, improved on a year-over-year basis but decreased on a month-to-month basis. The Unsold Inventory Index was 3.6 months in March, down from 4.6 months in February but up from 3.0 months in March 2018. The index measures the number of months it would take to sell the supply of homes on the market at the current sales rate. The jump in the UII from a year ago can be attributed to the moderate sales decline and the sharp increase in active listings.
The median number of days it took to sell a California single-family home fell from 33 days in February to 25 days in March. It took a median number of 16 days to sell a home in March 2018.
C.A.R.'s statewide sales-price-to-list-price ratio* was 98.5 percent in March 2019 compared to 100 percent in March 2018.
The average statewide price per square foot** for an existing, single-family home statewide was $277 in March 2019 and $276 in March 2018.
The 30-year, fixed-mortgage interest rate averaged 4.27 percent in March, down from 4.44 percent in March 2018, according to Freddie Mac. The five-year, adjustable mortgage interest rate also declined in March to an average of 3.83 percent from 3.65 in March 2018.

Note: The County MLS median price and sales data in the tables are generated from a survey of more than 90 associations of REALTORS® throughout the state and represent statistics of existing single-family detached homes only. County sales data are not adjusted to account for seasonal factors that can influence home sales. Movements in sales prices should not be interpreted as changes in the cost of a standard home. The median price is where half sold for more and half sold for less; medians are more typical than average prices, which are skewed by a relatively small share of transactions at either the lower-end or the upper-end. Median prices can be influenced by changes in cost, as well as changes in the characteristics and the size of homes sold. The change in median prices should not be construed as actual price changes in specific homes.

# # #

March 2019 County Sales and Price Activity
(Regional and condo sales data not seasonally adjusted)

March 2019	Median Sold Price of Existing Single-Family Homes							Sales
State/Region/County	March 2019	Feb. 2019		March 2018		Price MTM% Chg	Price YTY% Chg	Sales MTM% Chg	Sales YTY% Chg
Calif. Single-family home	$565,880	$534,140		$564,820	r	5.9%	0.2%	-0.2%	-6.3%
Calif. Condo/Townhome	$465,000	$450,000		$460,500	r	3.3%	1.0%	33.6%	-11.6%
Los Angeles Metro Area	$517,000	$505,000		$515,000		2.4%	0.4%	37.0%	-12.0%
Central Coast	$645,000	$650,000		$660,000		-0.8%	-2.3%	45.7%	-7.4%
Central Valley	$325,000	$320,000		$320,000		1.6%	1.6%	32.8%	-8.2%
Inland Empire	$374,900	$369,900		$351,450		1.4%	6.7%	33.5%	-10.4%
San Francisco Bay Area	$940,000	$867,000		$980,000		8.4%	-4.1%	46.1%	-10.8%

San Francisco Bay Area
Alameda	$911,000	$860,000		$955,000		5.9%	-4.6%	44.3%	-7.0%
Contra Costa	$644,000	$649,480	r	$655,000		-0.8%	-1.7%	56.8%	-12.6%
Marin	$1,300,000	$1,290,000		$1,392,500		0.8%	-6.6%	40.0%	-5.8%
Napa	$699,000	$625,000		$675,000		11.8%	3.6%	-3.0%	-27.0%
San Francisco	$1,637,500	$1,505,000		$1,680,000		8.8%	-2.5%	54.5%	-11.0%
San Mateo	$1,610,000	$1,425,000		$1,615,000		13.0%	-0.3%	46.0%	-10.9%
Santa Clara	$1,300,000	$1,170,000		$1,454,500		11.1%	-10.6%	57.9%	-11.2%
Solano	$438,500	$425,000		$445,000		3.2%	-1.5%	40.8%	-3.3%
Sonoma	$633,750	$625,420	r	$685,000		1.3%	-7.5%	19.1%	-20.4%
Southern California
Los Angeles	$525,520	$541,390		$528,980		-2.9%	-0.7%	36.3%	-13.0%
Orange	$809,500	$792,500		$824,450		2.1%	-1.8%	52.0%	-12.5%
Riverside	$412,000	$410,000		$398,000		0.5%	3.5%	32.7%	-9.3%
San Bernardino	$309,950	$298,250		$280,000		3.9%	10.7%	35.1%	-12.2%
San Diego	$623,800	$625,000		$625,400		-0.2%	-0.3%	34.1%	-3.9%
Ventura	$640,000	$620,000		$638,500		3.2%	0.2%	24.0%	-15.4%
Central Coast
Monterey	$579,000	$593,950		$625,000		-2.5%	-7.4%	39.6%	-13.7%
San Luis Obispo	$629,500	$592,500		$610,000		6.2%	3.2%	49.4%	-11.0%
Santa Barbara	$555,000	$645,000		$698,000	r	-14.0%	-20.5%	49.1%	3.5%
Santa Cruz	$918,000	$927,000		$910,000		-1.0%	0.9%	43.0%	-7.5%
Central Valley
Fresno	$280,000	$265,000		$264,950		5.7%	5.7%	49.7%	-12.5%
Glenn	$250,000	$281,000		$244,500		-11.0%	2.2%	58.8%	68.8%
Kern	$249,950	$240,000		$232,500		4.1%	7.5%	42.2%	-4.4%
Kings	$232,000	$221,000		$238,000		5.0%	-2.5%	21.1%	-16.5%
Madera	$265,000	$259,000		$265,000		2.3%	0.0%	-15.0%	-15.0%
Merced	$275,000	$269,000		$257,500		2.2%	6.8%	22.0%	-19.6%
Placer	$475,000	$495,000		$475,500		-4.0%	-0.1%	28.2%	-5.1%
Sacramento	$365,000	$360,000		$365,000		1.4%	0.0%	31.1%	-5.4%
San Benito	$610,000	$600,000		$586,670		1.7%	4.0%	29.0%	-27.3%
San Joaquin	$355,000	$370,000		$370,000		-4.1%	-4.1%	29.1%	-16.1%
Stanislaus	$320,000	$310,000		$308,000		3.2%	3.9%	25.8%	-8.8%
Tulare	$230,000	$243,500		$232,500		-5.5%	-1.1%	55.6%	5.0%
Other Calif. Counties
Amador	NA	NA		$340,000		NA	NA	NA	NA
Butte	$369,000	$345,450	r	$315,000		6.8%	17.1%	9.1%	40.3%
Calaveras	$308,250	$340,000		$325,000		-9.3%	-5.2%	2.2%	-7.1%
Del Norte	$253,025	$245,000		$200,000		3.3%	26.5%	-9.1%	-47.4%
El Dorado	$506,165	$495,000		$510,000		2.3%	-0.8%	89.0%	-12.7%
Humboldt	$310,000	$298,000		$313,500		4.0%	-1.1%	44.9%	2.7%
Lake	$243,500	$260,000		$280,000		-6.3%	-13.0%	-15.3%	-24.2%
Lassen	$220,000	$185,000		$135,000		18.9%	63.0%	16.7%	-27.6%
Mariposa	$277,500	$369,000		$290,000		-24.8%	-4.3%	-23.1%	11.1%
Mendocino	$394,500	$377,000		$379,000		4.6%	4.1%	24.1%	24.1%
Mono	$800,000	$765,000		$780,000		4.6%	2.6%	-72.7%	-57.1%
Nevada	$412,500	$382,000		$430,000		8.0%	-4.1%	56.4%	-5.4%
Plumas	$287,500	$258,500		$353,000		11.2%	-18.6%	8.3%	85.7%
Shasta	$285,000	$285,000		$242,500		0.0%	17.5%	36.5%	20.1%
Siskiyou	$205,000	$224,500		$226,350		-8.7%	-9.4%	150.0%	12.5%
Sutter	$310,000	$292,500		$281,000		6.0%	10.3%	5.2%	-29.1%
Tehama	$315,000	$224,500		$222,500		40.3%	41.6%	16.7%	44.1%
Tuolumne	$315,000	$299,000		$292,500		5.4%	7.7%	64.9%	-29.9%
Yolo	$450,000	$424,920	r	$422,500		5.9%	6.5%	36.8%	-9.8%
Yuba	$290,000	$256,000		$277,900		13.3%	4.4%	37.7%	-5.2%

r = revised
NA = not available

March 2019 County Unsold Inventory and Days on Market
(Regional and condo sales data not seasonally adjusted)

March 2019	Unsold Inventory Index				Median Time on Market
State/Region/County	March 2019	Feb. 2019	March 2018		March 2019	Feb. 2019	March 2018
Calif. Single-family home	3.6	4.6	2.9		25.0	33.0	16.0
Calif. Condo/Townhome	3.3	4.1	2.3		24.0	28.0	12.0
Los Angeles Metro Area	4.1	5.5	3.4		33.0	42.0	22.0
Central Coast	4.1	5.5	3.7		26.0	49.0	20.0
Central Valley	3.0	3.8	2.6		22.0	29.0	14.0
Inland Empire	4.2	5.5	3.7		42.0	48.0	29.0
San Francisco Bay Area	2.6	3.3	1.9		16.0	20.0	12.0

San Francisco Bay Area
Alameda	2.2	2.7	1.5		13.0	15.0	11.0
Contra Costa	2.6	3.5	1.9		14.0	15.0	10.0
Marin	3.8	3.7	2.8		28.0	49.0	20.5
Napa	6.8	5.8	4.1		73.0	49.0	34.0
San Francisco	1.8	2.8	1.6		14.0	15.0	14.0
San Mateo	2.2	2.9	1.6		13.0	13.0	11.0
Santa Clara	2.3	3.1	1.5		12.0	12.0	8.0
Solano	2.8	3.8	2.3		37.0	43.5	29.0
Sonoma	4.1	4.2	2.6		43.5	65.0	29.0
Southern California
Los Angeles	3.8	5.1	3.0		25.0	35.0	17.0
Orange	4.3	5.9	3.2		25.0	42.0	14.0
Riverside	4.3	5.6	3.6		44.0	45.0	28.0
San Bernardino	4.1	5.4	3.7		40.0	56.0	31.0
San Diego	3.4	4.3	2.9		19.0	22.0	12.0
Ventura	5.8	6.7	4.5		51.0	59.0	41.0
Central Coast
Monterey	4.2	5.6	3.8		27.0	51.0	21.0
San Luis Obispo	4.5	6.0	3.8		33.0	42.0	23.0
Santa Barbara	3.9	5.5	3.9		26.0	49.0	30.0
Santa Cruz	3.6	4.1	2.9		20.0	55.5	12.0
Central Valley
Fresno	3.4	4.9	2.7		26.0	24.0	13.0
Glenn	2.8	4.5	5.1		45.0	11.0	39.5
Kern	3.0	4.0	3.2		21.0	31.0	20.0
Kings	3.8	4.1	2.8		34.0	29.0	25.0
Madera	6.1	4.9	4.5		37.0	51.5	31.5	r
Merced	4.3	5.3	3.1		55.0	44.0	23.5	r
Placer	2.7	3.2	2.4		17.5	28.5	11.0
Sacramento	2.3	2.8	2.1		18.0	27.0	11.0
San Benito	4.0	5.3	2.7		63.0	24.0	27.0
San Joaquin	3.2	3.9	2.2		22.0	31.0	14.0
Stanislaus	2.8	3.4	2.4		23.0	33.0	12.0
Tulare	3.3	5.0	3.3		32.0	34.5	29.0
Other Calif. Counties
Amador	NA	NA	3.9		NA	NA	52.0
Butte	1.8	2.0	2.9		9.0	8.0	15.5
Calaveras	5.0	4.3	4.7		53.5	51.0	46.0
Del Norte	12.4	11.5	5.8		140.0	111.0	112.0
El Dorado	4.2	5.5	3.3		32.5	42.0	24.0
Humboldt	4.5	6.6	5.1		44.0	34.0	24.0
Lake	8.8	6.6	6.4		80.5	76.0	41.5
Lassen	5.2	6.2	4.5		90.0	114.0	91.0
Mariposa	10.4	6.8	10.4	r	31.0	36.0	22.0	r
Mendocino	11.1	12.6	11.8		81.0	83.0	51.0
Mono	22.7	6.5	10.1		71.0	198.0	194.0
Nevada	3.9	5.4	3.1		44.5	50.5	21.0
Plumas	9.2	9.2	14.5		129.0	143.0	185.5
Shasta	3.7	4.7	4.7		40.0	34.0	24.0
Siskiyou	5.8	13.7	5.5		82.0	76.0	43.5
Sutter	2.5	2.3	2.2		14.0	39.5	18.0
Tehama	3.7	4.0	6.1		43.0	56.0	68.0
Tuolumne	5.4	7.9	3.3		76.5	97.0	36.0
Yolo	3.0	3.6	2.5		27.0	22.0	10.5
Yuba	2.8	3.7	2.7		19.0	39.0	29.0

r = revised

NA = not available

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Home sweet home.

Thu, 14 Mar 2019 16:50:00 EST

If your thinking of selling the best thing to do is call a Realtor, we have several on site and we are open 7 days a week. Sunshine Properties Real Estate 760-728-8855

GRILLED CALIFORNIA AVOCADO MANGO PANINI

Thu, 14 Mar 2019 16:48:00 EST

GRILLED CALIFORNIA AVOCADO MANGO PANINI

Dara Michalski 02 / 20 / 2019

Before I made these panini, it had probably been two years since I had bitten into a grilled cheese sandwich. Two years. After one bite of these grilled beauties, I began wondering what had kept me away for so long. Crusty bread, melted cheese – salty, crispy and gloriously delicious. And when you add a layer of mashed California Avocado, it's nearly impossible to resist these panini.

As satisfying as a basic grilled cheese sandwich can be, I am a sucker for any dish that combines sweet and savory flavors. If you've ever had melted Brie with pepper jelly or salmon with a sweet peach salsa, you know what I mean. They light up every taste bud and satisfying every craving in one fell swoop.

With a bounty of California Avocados in my kitchen and some melt-worthy fresh mozzarella on hand, I put together a grilled panini, complete with sweet mango slices and chopped basil, that we'll be making over and over again.

Tips for making these Grilled Avocado Mango Panini:

Smash the avocado, squeeze in some lime juice, and season with salt and a drizzle of agave nectar or honey. The agave nectar offsets the tang of the lime juice. If the mango you're using isn't terribly sweet, add extra agave to the avocado. You're going for a good balance of sweet and savory.
Using a ripe mango is key! Ideally, you want tender pieces of fruit that have plenty of flavor.
If you have a panini maker, grilling these sandwiches couldn't be easier. No panini maker? No problem! Instead, you can use a grill pan or cast iron skillet.
To achieved that pressed panini look without a panini maker, place a heavy skillet on top of the sandwiches while cooking. Another option is to use a brick covered in foil.

GRILLED CALIFORNIA AVOCADO MANGO PANINI RECIPE

Serves 2

Prep time:    20 minutes
Cook time:   10 minutes
Total time:   30 minutes

Ingredients:
1 California Avocado, peeled and seeded
2 tbsp. lime juice
½ tsp. agave nectar
1/8 tsp. salt
4 slices bread, toasted
½ mango, thinly sliced
4 oz. fresh mozzarella
4 basil leaves, thinly sliced
1 tbsp. olive oil

Instructions:

Preheat a panini maker or grill pan
Scoop the avocado into a bowl. Mash with the back of a fork, then stir in the lime juice, agave nectar and salt.
Divide the mashed avocado evenly between two pieces of the bread. Divide the mango, mozzarella and basil between the two sandwiches.
Close the sandwiches with the remaining pieces of bread. Brush both sides of each sandwich with olive oil.
Place the sandwiches on the panini maker and close the lid. Cook until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted. If using a grill pan, flip the sandwiches halfway through cooking and place a heavy skillet on top of the sandwiches to press down.
Cut in half. Serve.

Dara Michalski

Dara Michalski, a Canadian ("Canuck") living in the United States, is the recipe developer and photographer behind the healthy recipe and running site, Cookin' Canuck. Dara has been sharing her easy, innovative and healthy recipes with her readers since April 2009. More recently, she started writing about her adventures with running, including her first marathon. Starting in September 2011, Dara's cooking and view on health went through a transformation, leading to a 30-pound weight loss and a new dedication to moderation in eating and exercise. She believes that healthy eating doesn't need to equal boring food!

Dara is a brand ambassador. Their content on the California Avocado Commission website and/or blog is part of their partnership with our organization.

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Renters lack financial knowledge to buy

Thu, 14 Mar 2019 16:38:00 EST

March 7, 2019

California renters qualify for homeownership but lack financial knowledge to purchase, C.A.R. reports

LOS ANGELES (March 7) – While low affordability is the biggest obstacle most renters face in becoming homeowners, 14 percent of California renters can afford to purchase a home but are foregoing homeownership partly because they don't have the financial knowledge to do so, according to research findings by the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS^® (C.A.R.).

Of the nearly 6 million California renters statewide*, 826,000 could qualify to purchase a median-priced home in the county in which they reside. Five in 10 who qualify to purchase a home are white (51.4 percent), 12 percent are Asian, more than one in four is Hispanic (26.9 percent), and 6 percent are black.

A lack of financial literacy is one of the biggest barriers preventing renters from becoming homeowners. Nearly three-fourths (73 percent) believe a down payment of at least 20 percent is required to purchase a home, and 72 percent are unaware of loan programs that require less than 20 percent down payment. Additionally, nearly seven in 10 (69 percent) would purchase a home if they could put down a lower down payment.

"While many renters earn the income and have the credit required to buy a home, they have misconceptions about what it takes to become a homeowner, which is holding them back from buying a home or causing them to give up on their American dream," said C.A.R. President Jared Martin. "Prospective first-time buyers should be aware that there are many down payment assistance programs offered by local housing agencies and low down payment programs from the Federal Housing Administration, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture and the Veterans Administration."

Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Diego and Sacramento counties boast the largest number of qualified renters.

# # #

*2017 Census

Avocado Monthly www.avocadomonthly.com

Don't see a certain Avocado variety you want?

If you have a favorite variety that we do not offer, we'd love if you'd contact us today! We will work to create inventory for your preferred section of Avocado's if possible. We can also double up and or skip a month, just let us know in the notes section when ordering.

California REALTORS® applaud Gov. Newsom's commitment to address housing crisis

Wed, 06 Mar 2019 15:10:00 EST

For release:
February 12, 2019

California REALTORS® applaud Gov. Newsom's commitment to address housing crisis

LOS ANGELES (Feb. 12) – The CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS^® (C.A.R.) today issued the following statement in response to Governor Gavin Newsom's State of the State address:

"We applaud Gov. Gavin Newsom's demonstration of his ongoing commitment and leadership toward building more affordable and available housing in California and couldn't agree more when he stated, 'If we want a California for all, we have to build housing for all,'" said C.A.R. President Jared Martin.

"We support the governor's position that local government needs to be held accountable for addressing housing supply. By addressing supply at the local level, we're addressing housing affordability for both ownership and rental housing.

"We also welcome the governor's comments regarding the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and we will be pursuing legislation to streamline housing construction.

"Last fall, California voters resoundingly rejected the expansion of rent control. Californians understand that the solution to high rents is not more rent control; it's building more supply. Moreover, rent stabilization is already addressed by the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act.

"The CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® looks forward to working with the governor, the legislature and key stakeholders to ensure that all Californians can realize the American dream of homeownership."

Leading the way... ® in California real estate for more than 110 years, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS^®(www.car.org) is one of the largest state trade organizations in the United States, with more than 190,000 members dedicated to the advancement of professionalism in real estate. C.A.R. is headquartered in Los Angeles.

6 Creative Ways to Finally Conquer Your Clutter

Wed, 06 Mar 2019 14:28:00 EST

6 Creative Ways to Finally Conquer Your Clutter

Is storage space a constant battle in your home? If so, your problem might be that you have too much stuff, rather than not enough storage. It's easy to overlook how much stuff is coming into your home, but if you're like most Americans, you have so much clutter that you spend 2.5 days every year looking for things you can't find. If that's not a sign of a clutter problem, we don't know what is! Today is the day that ends. Instead of letting clutter be a source of stress in your life, try these six easy strategies for finally getting your stuff under control.

1. Declutter One Room Each Weekend

Decluttering an entire house is overwhelming. But a single bedroom or linen closet? That's not so scary. Rather than taking on your entire decluttering project in one go, do it one room or storage area at a time. For really cluttered areas, such as attics, garages, and basements, give yourself a couple of weekends if you need to.

2. Declutter as You Clean

The next time you encounter something you don't really need while cleaning, don't just shove it back in a drawer. It might solve the mess, but it doesn't fix the clutter problem. Instead, get rid of it. Make a goal to identify at least one piece of clutter in each room during your weekly chores.

3. Keep a Clutter Box

Sometimes not knowing what to do with unwanted stuff stops us from doing anything at all. Rather than let indecision end in inaction, start a box where you put anything you deem to be clutter. When the box gets full, go through it and decide what to donate, sell, or throw away. This also saves you from making a million trips to the thrift store!

4. Get Creative with Storage

Just because you have a clutter problem doesn't mean you don't also have a storage problem. Bad storage solutions like junk drawers and plastic bins stuffed under the bed let you hide clutter so it's easy to ignore, but good storage makes your home more functional and discourages needless stuff. Add more functional storage with clever solutions such as rolling drawers under the bed for off-season clothing, a spice rack that fits between the refrigerator and kitchen counter, and floating shelves for books and media. Solutions like these keep your stuff accessible without turning into a dumping ground.

5. Declutter with the Seasons

If you declutter your whole house in a cleaning spree and drop everything off at the thrift store, they'll have to hold onto out-of-season items for months before finding a buyer. If you want to do the best with your decluttering (and break up the work!), schedule seasonal clean-ups. As spring and summer approach, declutter outdoor toys, recreational equipment, lawn furniture, and other warm-weather gear. When winter is on the horizon, take a hard look at your cold-weather clothing, linens, and decorations.

7. Challenge Yourself to a No-Buy Month

Impulse shoppers, this one's for you! Your house will never truly be clutter-free if you keep buying stuff you could live without. Stop the endless flow of stuff by challenging yourself to a no-buy month. Of course, essentials such as groceries and toiletries are exempt, but new clothes, décor, gadgets, and other luxuries are off-limits. After a month, you'll have a clearer view of what you really need and what's a fleeting desire.

When closets get full and drawers overflow, we tend to convince ourselves we need bigger homes or better storage solutions. In reality, most families' problem is that they have more stuff than they can handle. Before you invest in a professional organizer or upsize your house, give these decluttering strategies a try. You may realize you have plenty of space after all.

Suzie Wilson ⎸info@happierhome.net ⎸Happier Home

Image via Pexels

Best Guacamole Ever

Fri, 22 Feb 2019 15:15:00 EST

Sharing with you a great Guacamole Recipe courtesy of Avocado Commission

PRINT RECIPE

A true guacamole recipe handed down from generation to generation.

INGREDIENTS

Serves: 8

4	ripe, Fresh California Avocados, seeded and peeled
3	limes, juice only
2	medium tomatoes, chopped
1	medium white onion, chopped fine
1/4 tsp.	ground black pepper
1/2 tsp.	salt
2	cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/8 tsp.	cumin
1/8 tsp.	cayenne pepper
As needed	Pinch sugar
1	serrano chile, chopped fine
1	bunch cilantro, chopped

As with all fruits and vegetables, wash avocados before cutting.
Check out our tips for how to choose and use California Avocados.

INSTRUCTIONS

Place avocados in a bowl and mash with a fork.
Immediately mix in remaining ingredients; serve immediately.

Serve with fresh tortilla chips.

* Large avocados are recommended for this recipe. A large avocado averages about 8 ounces. If using smaller or larger size avocados adjust the quantity accordingly.

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 Calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

David Vaughan

2010 California Avocado Best Guacamole Contest Best Tasting Category Winner, David Vaughan

California home sales fall to lowest level in more than 10 years, C.A.R. reports

Fri, 22 Feb 2019 15:13:00 EST

Sharing with you guys a great Califonia Association of Realtors Article

February 20, 2019

California home sales fall to lowest level in more than 10 years, C.A.R. reports

- Existing, single-family home sales totaled 357,730 in January on a seasonally adjusted annualized rate, down 3.9 percent from December and down 12.6 percent from January 2018.

- January's statewide median home price was $538,690, down 3.4 percent from December and up 2.1 percent from January 2018.

- Statewide active listings rose for the 10th straight month, increasing 27 percent from the previous year.

- The statewide Unsold Inventory Index was 4.6 months in January, up from 3.5 months in December.

LOS ANGELES (Feb. 20) – Housing demand in California remained subdued for the ninth consecutive month in January as economic and market uncertainties sent home sales to their lowest level since April 2008, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS^® (C.A.R.) said today.

Closed escrow sales of existing, single-family detached homes in California totaled a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 357,730 units in January, according to information collected by C.A.R. from more than 90 local REALTOR^®associations and MLSs statewide. The statewide annualized sales figure represents what would be the total number of homes sold during 2019 if sales maintained the January pace throughout the year. It is adjusted to account for seasonal factors that typically influence home sales.

January's sales figure was down 3.9 percent from the revised 372,260 level in December and down 12.6 percent from home sales in January 2018 of 409,520. January marked the ninth consecutive month of decline and the sixth month in a row that sales were below 400,000, dipping to the lowest level since April 2008.

"California continued to move toward a more balanced market as we see buyers having greater negotiating power and sellers making concessions to get their homes sold as inventory grows," said C.A.R. President Jared Martin. "While interest rates have dropped down to the lowest point in 10 months, potential buyers are putting their homeownership plans on hold as they wait out further price adjustments."

The statewide median home price declined to $538,690 in January. The January statewide median price was down 3.4 percent from $557,600 in December and up 2.1 percent from a revised $527,780 in January 2018.

"While we expected the federal government shutdown during most of January to temporarily interrupt closings because of a delay in loan approvals and income verifications, the impact on January's home sales was minimal," said C.A.R. Senior Vice President and Chief Economist Leslie Appleton-Young. "The decline in sales was more indicative of demand side issues and was broad and across all price categories and regions of the state. Moreover, growing inventory over the past few months has not translated into more sales."

Other key points from C.A.R.'s January 2019 resale housing report include:

On a regionwide, non-seasonally adjusted basis, sales dropped double-digits on a year-over-year basis in the Los Angeles Metro Area, Central Coast, Central Valley and Inland Empire regions, while home sales in the San Francisco Bay Area fell 5.8 percent from a year ago.
Forty of the 51 counties reported by C.A.R. posted a sales decline in January with an average year-over-year sales decline of nearly 19 percent. Twenty-eight counties declined by double-digits on an annual basis, and 10 counties experienced an increase in sales from a year ago.
After experiencing its worst annual sales drop in more than eight years in December of 17.5 percent, sales in the San Francisco Bay Area bounced back with a more moderate decline of 5.8 percent in January. Home sales in six of the nine Bay Area counties fell from a year ago, and three counties declined by more than 10 percent.
The Los Angeles Metro region posted a year-over-year sales drop of 15.1 percent, as home sales fell 14.2 percent in Los Angeles County and 13.2 percent in Orange County.
Home sales in the Inland Empire declined 16.1 percent from a year ago as Riverside and San Bernardino counties posted annual sales declines of 13.9 percent and 19.2 percent, respectively.
The median home price continued to increase in all regions, though at a slower pace. On a year-over-year basis, the Bay Area median price rose 4.5 percent from January 2018. Home prices in Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties continued to remain above $1 million, but Marin County recorded a 12.8 percent annual price decline.
Price growth remained modest in Southern California with the median price higher than the previous year in five of six counties. Only Ventura County experienced a year-over-year price decline.
Statewide active listings rose for the 10th consecutive month after nearly three straight years of declines, increasing 27 percent from the previous year.
All major regions recorded an increase in active listings, with the Bay Area posting the highest increase at 57 percent, followed by Southern California (29.7 percent), Central Valley (19.5 percent) and the Central Coast (14.5 percent).
The Unsold Inventory Index (UII), which is a ratio of inventory over sales, increased year-to-year from 3.6 months in January 2018 to 4.6 months in January 2019. The index measures the number of months it would take to sell the supply of homes on the market at the current sales rate. The jump in the UII from a year ago can be attributed to the double-digit sales decline and the sharp increase in active listings.
The median number of days it took to sell a California single-family home rose from 27 days in January 2018 to 37 days in January 2019.
C.A.R.'s statewide sales price-to-list-price ratio* decreased from 98.7 percent in January 2018 to 97.3 percent in January 2019.
The average statewide price per square foot** for an existing, single-family home statewide edged up from $257 in January 2018 to $264 in January 2019.
The 30-year, fixed-mortgage interest rate averaged 4.46 percent in January, up from 4.03 percent in January 2018, according to Freddie Mac. The five-year, adjustable mortgage interest rate also increased in January to an average of 3.91 percent from 3.47 from January 2018.

Graphics (click links to open):

# # #

January 2019 County Sales and Price Activity
(Regional and condo sales data not seasonally adjusted)

January 2019	Median Sold Price of Existing Single-Family Homes						Sales
State/Region/County	Jan. 2019	Dec. 2018		Jan. 2018	Price MTM% Chg	Price YTY% Chg	Sales MTM% Chg	Sales YTY% Chg
Calif. Single-family home	$538,690	$557,600		$527,780	-3.4%	2.1%	-3.9%	-12.6%
Calif. Condo/Townhome	$434,080	$450,000	r	$425,000	-3.5%	2.1%	-16.6%	-13.7%
Los Angeles Metro Area	$499,450	$500,000		$490,000	-0.1%	1.9%	-18.9%	-15.1%
Central Coast	$620,990	$687,450	r	$605,000	-9.7%	2.6%	-12.4%	-18.1%
Central Valley	$312,000	$317,500		$305,000	-1.7%	2.3%	-19.8%	-13.2%
Inland Empire	$354,450	$359,000		$350,000	-1.3%	1.3%	-12.5%	-16.1%
San Francisco Bay Area	$836,000	$850,000		$800,000	-1.6%	4.5%	-24.3%	-5.8%

San Francisco Bay Area
Alameda	$826,000	$850,000		$840,000	-2.8%	-1.7%	-20.5%	3.9%
Contra Costa	$595,000	$612,500		$555,000	-2.9%	7.2%	-27.7%	-15.3%
Marin	$1,149,500	$1,270,500		$1,317,500	-9.5%	-12.8%	-30.5%	-2.4%
Napa	$672,500	$725,000		$662,000	-7.2%	1.6%	-29.1%	-26.3%
San Francisco	$1,330,000	$1,500,000		$1,330,000	-11.3%	0.0%	-38.9%	3.2%
San Mateo	$1,450,000	$1,483,000		$1,437,500	-2.2%	0.9%	-25.6%	9.9%
Santa Clara	$1,185,000	$1,150,000		$1,170,000	3.0%	1.3%	-23.3%	-5.4%
Solano	$428,000	$425,000		$425,000	0.7%	0.7%	-20.6%	-10.0%
Sonoma	$650,000	$639,000		$670,000	1.7%	-3.0%	-17.2%	-8.7%
Southern California
Los Angeles	$566,010	$588,140		$564,100	-3.8%	0.3%	-25.5%	-14.2%
Orange	$796,500	$785,000		$780,000	1.5%	2.1%	-17.0%	-13.2%
Riverside	$400,000	$398,000		$397,250	0.5%	0.7%	-14.9%	-13.9%
San Bernardino	$290,000	$295,000		$277,000	-1.7%	4.7%	-8.5%	-19.2%
San Diego	$610,000	$618,500		$590,000	-1.4%	3.4%	-17.0%	-10.0%
Ventura	$615,000	$640,000		$660,720	-3.9%	-6.9%	-14.7%	-20.1%
Central Coast
Monterey	$590,000	$590,000		$571,500	0.0%	3.2%	12.9%	-8.8%
San Luis Obispo	$592,500	$640,000		$565,000	-7.4%	4.9%	-14.4%	-25.9%
Santa Barbara	$687,100	$784,540	r	$567,000	-12.4%	21.2%	-17.3%	-6.9%
Santa Cruz	$825,000	$926,000		$790,000	-10.9%	4.4%	-34.2%	-34.8%
Central Valley
Fresno	$270,000	$266,500		$253,500	1.3%	6.5%	-21.7%	-6.3%
Glenn	$225,000	$246,500		$228,500	-8.7%	-1.5%	-15.6%	68.8%
Kern	$240,000	$242,380		$225,500	-1.0%	6.4%	-15.1%	-0.8%
Kings	$219,900	$243,000		$238,000	-9.5%	-7.6%	-9.0%	-1.4%
Madera	$260,000	$263,000		$275,000	-1.1%	-5.5%	-23.1%	-7.2%
Merced	$279,990	$269,060		$257,000	4.1%	8.9%	-33.6%	-24.3%
Placer	$479,000	$492,990	r	$446,000	-2.8%	7.4%	-21.9%	-10.5%
Sacramento	$352,250	$364,500		$350,000	-3.4%	0.6%	-19.3%	-20.9%
San Benito	$595,000	$577,000		$555,000	3.1%	7.2%	-67.6%	-72.1%
San Joaquin	$375,000	$365,000		$350,000	2.7%	7.1%	-18.7%	-11.3%
Stanislaus	$305,000	$309,000		$295,000	-1.3%	3.4%	-17.2%	-12.1%
Tulare	$217,750	$236,450		$215,733	-7.9%	0.9%	-16.8%	-16.1%
Other Calif. Counties
Amador	NA	NA		$330,000	NA	NA	NA	NA
Butte	$376,000	$356,560	r	$314,750	5.5%	19.5%	-34.2%	88.9%
Calaveras	$335,000	$310,000		$306,500	8.1%	9.3%	-33.7%	-28.8%
Del Norte	$217,000	$243,900		$198,500	-11.0%	9.3%	58.3%	-5.0%
El Dorado	$436,500	$454,500		$480,000	-4.0%	-9.1%	-28.1%	-29.1%
Humboldt	$325,500	$308,000		$300,000	5.7%	8.5%	2.4%	-1.2%
Lake	$265,000	$269,000		$279,000	-1.5%	-5.0%	-58.9%	-44.4%
Lassen	$228,500	$208,000		$217,750	9.9%	4.9%	-21.7%	-10.0%
Mariposa	$284,000	$320,000		$276,500	-11.3%	2.7%	-64.3%	-37.5%
Mendocino	$384,560	$424,900		$425,000	-9.5%	-9.5%	-11.4%	2.6%
Mono	$782,000	$541,000		$480,000	44.5%	62.9%	150.0%	100.0%
Nevada	$402,950	$389,950		$382,000	3.3%	5.5%	-2.1%	27.8%
Plumas	$308,240	$262,950		$265,950	17.2%	15.9%	-46.2%	-30.0%
Shasta	$271,720	$267,500		$249,000	1.6%	9.1%	-8.4%	12.4%
Siskiyou	$151,000	$182,500		$193,000	-17.3%	-21.8%	-28.1%	-42.5%
Sutter	$291,670	$320,000		$284,200	-8.9%	2.6%	-71.6%	-68.1%
Tehama	$275,000	$255,000		$227,500	7.8%	20.9%	-9.5%	109.4%
Tuolumne	$299,500	$258,950		$265,000	15.7%	13.0%	-42.5%	-16.4%
Yolo	$432,500	$429,000		$383,000	0.8%	12.9%	-17.5%	-1.2%
Yuba	$320,000	$298,000		$265,360	7.4%	20.6%	-43.2%	-20.7%

r = revised

NA = not available

January 2019 County Unsold Inventory and Days on Market

(Regional and condo sales data not seasonally adjusted)

January 2019	Unsold Inventory Index				Median Time on Market
State/Region/County	Jan. 2019	Dec. 2018	Jan. 2018		Jan. 2019	Dec. 2018		Jan. 2018
Calif. Single-family home	4.6	3.5	3.6		37.0	32.0		27.0	r
Calif. Condo/Townhome	4.5	3.2	3.0		36.9	31.1	r	20.0	r
Los Angeles Metro Area	5.4	4.1	4.0		42.0	36.0		32.0	r
Central Coast	5.5	4.3	4.1		36.0	35.0		32.0
Central Valley	3.9	3.1	3.2		31.0	27.0		23.0
Inland Empire	5.7	4.7	4.4		48.0	41.5		38.0	r
San Francisco Bay Area	3.3	2.1	2.3		36.0	29.0		17.0	r

San Francisco Bay Area
Alameda	2.6	1.7	2.0		27.0	24.0		13.0
Contra Costa	3.3	1.9	2.3		33.0	23.0		16.0
Marin	4.5	2.5	3.2		50.0	44.5		54.5
Napa	6.6	4.5	3.7		81.5	62.0		57.0
San Francisco	2.7	1.1	2.2		34.0	25.0		19.0
San Mateo	2.8	1.6	2.2		28.0	20.0		12.0
Santa Clara	3.0	1.8	1.9		30.0	22.0		9.0
Solano	4.1	2.9	2.9		50.0	44.5		35.0
Sonoma	3.9	3.2	2.6		69.0	54.0		38.0
Southern California
Los Angeles	4.9	3.5	3.6		36.0	31.0		25.0
Orange	5.4	4.0	3.9		39.0	29.5		28.0
Riverside	6.0	4.7	4.7		50.0	41.0		37.0
San Bernardino	5.2	4.6	3.9		45.0	42.0		40.0
San Diego	4.6	3.5	3.4		28.0	27.0		21.0
Ventura	7.2	5.5	4.7		59.0	59.0		58.5
Central Coast
Monterey	4.9	5.0	4.0		36.0	28.0		36.5
San Luis Obispo	6.5	4.9	4.5		32.0	37.5		28.0
Santa Barbara	5.7	4.0	5.0		54.9	48.5	r	33.0
Santa Cruz	4.3	2.8	2.4		39.0	35.0		32.0
Central Valley
Fresno	4.5	3.2	3.7	r	29.0	23.0		22.0	r
Glenn	3.0	2.3	4.4		47.0	29.5		54.0	r
Kern	3.7	2.8	4.0		30.0	31.0		27.0
Kings	4.0	3.5	3.5		42.0	37.0		27.0
Madera	7.7	5.7	6.0	r	41.5	40.0		41.0
Merced	5.8	3.6	3.9		46.0	29.0		25.0
Placer	3.5	2.6	3.0		36.0	29.0		22.0
Sacramento	3.0	2.5	2.4		28.0	25.0		17.0
San Benito	13.2	3.1	3.1		67.5	33.0		33.0
San Joaquin	3.5	2.9	2.7		31.0	29.0		25.0
Stanislaus	3.7	3.1	2.9		33.0	27.0		26.0
Tulare	5.5	4.3	4.3		41.0	29.0		41.0
Other Calif. Counties
Amador	NA	NA	5.8		NA	NA		58.0
Butte	2.1	1.2	3.4		8.0	25.0		29.5
Calaveras	7.1	4.8	5.3		66.0	61.5		54.0
Del Norte	6.5	9.8	5.6		121.0	104.0		108.5
El Dorado	4.5	4.4	4.0		51.0	42.0		51.0
Humboldt	6.1	6.0	5.8		38.0	34.0		42.5
Lake	13.3	5.3	6.6		87.0	54.0		55.0
Lassen	5.8	4.6	6.7		144.0	111.0		148.5
Mariposa	13.8	4.1	7.1		78.0	59.0		33.5
Mendocino	9.6	8.5	7.2		59.0	68.5		84.0
Mono	7.0	17.5	12.8		64.0	82.5		120.0
Nevada	4.9	4.8	5.0		54.0	42.5		55.0
Plumas	17.0	8.5	8.6		134.0	189.5		139.5
Shasta	4.5	4.0	4.8		39.0	38.0		45.0
Siskiyou	10.7	7.9	5.2		73.5	48.0		56.0
Sutter	3.2	1.9	2.6		NA	39.0		20.0
Tehama	2.7	2.8	4.9		73.0	80.5		77.0
Tuolumne	6.4	3.8	4.6		53.5	65.0		59.5
Yolo	3.7	3.1	3.1		34.5	34.0		18.0
Yuba	3.5	2.4	3.6		NA	30.0		33.5

r = revised

NA = not available

Always Remember your first time buyer

Fri, 22 Feb 2019 15:08:00 EST

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Fri, 15 Feb 2019 15:42:00 EST

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LOS ANGELES (Feb. 12) – The CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS^® (C.A.R.) today issued the following statement in response to Governor Gavin Newsom's State of the State address:

"We also welcome the governor's comments regarding the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and we will be pursuing legislation to streamline housing construction.

Leading the way... ® in California real estate for more than 110 years, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS^®(www.car.org) is one of the largest state trade organizations in the United States, with more than 190,000 members dedicated to the advancement of professionalism in real estate. C.A.R. is headquartered in Los Angeles.

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