L.A. Times article: Stephen Verona lists his Bel-Air home for $4,395,000

The filmmaker-painter’s villa, built in 1938, has come on the market for the first time in 30 years. Many of the rooms in the 3,405-square-foot house open to a large patio. HOT PROPERTY January 27, 2010|By Lauren Beale The Bel-Air home of Stephen Verona, music video and film director, screenwriter and painter, has come on [...]

L.A. Times article: Home prices in California show strong, unexpected gains in January

L.A. leads the S & P/Case-Shiller index of 20 cities with a 1.8% increase from December. The index rises 0.3% overall, its eighth monthly increase in a row. Some see recovery; others, a mixed picture. By Alejandro LazoMarch 31, 2010 A national index of home prices rose unexpectedly in January, with California cities posting strong [...]

L.A. Times article: Fewer homes enter foreclosure process in February

Fewer homes enter foreclosure process in February Some experts say the 2% drop from January stems from banks’ efforts to keep owners in their homes. By Alejandro LazoMarch 11, 2010 The number of homes caught up in some stage of the foreclosure process in February fell 2% from the previous month to 308,524, a real [...]

L.A. Times article: Mortgage rates remain near record lows for modern era

Mortgage rates remain near record lows for modern era March 4, 2010 |  9:00 am The typical rate that lenders were offering for 30-year home loans slipped below 5% again this week, the mortgage company Freddie Mac said in a survey released Thursday. The survey asks lenders to report popular combinations of interest rates and points, [...]

OC Real Estate blog: Best Jan. for real estate agents in 3 years

Jonathan Lansner and Jeff Collins of the Orange County Register released a great blog on OC Real estate in January. You may view it here.

L.A. Times article: Jumbo mortgage market is beginning to thaw

Jumbo mortgage market is beginning to thaw The meltdown sent interest rates soaring and availability shrinking, but rates are declining and lenders are more willing to make loans that top the limits for Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae and the FHA. By E. Scott Reckard Phil Kelly had 18 more months to go before the fixed [...]

L.A. Times article: Home prices show small gain in December

Home prices show small gain in December Prices increased 0.3% from November, according to the Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller index. It was the seventh straight month of gains, but the improvement continues to be weak. By Alejandro Lazo Home prices gained for the seventh consecutive month in December, with Los Angeles and other West Coast cities [...]

L.A. Times article: Southern California economic recovery is forecast

Southern California economic recovery is forecast Modest growth is likely this year and next, but unemployment will remain high, according to the report from the Kyser Center for Economic Research. Southern California is headed for a gradual economic recovery in 2010 and 2011, along with the rest of the state and the country, according to [...]

L.A. Times article: Southern California home prices rise 8.6%

HOUSING Southern California home prices rise 8.6% But January’s year-over-year increase to $271,500 is a 6.1% drop from December. Total sales climb about 1% from a year earlier. Home sale prices in Southern California showed fresh strength in January, bouncing 8.6% from the same month one year earlier — a period when the market was [...]

L.A. Times article: Southern California housing market strengthens in December

Southern California housing market strengthens in December In a typically sluggish month, the median sale price rises 4% over the same period a year earlier, and sales jump 12.1%. The pace of sales is the best since 2006, aided by tax credits that end soon. January 20, 2010|By Alejandro Lazo Rock-bottom interest rates and stronger [...]