There’s been a lot of press coverage on the rebates that are part of the proposed economic stimulus plan but there are other parts of it too.

One is to raise the conforming loan limits from the current $417,00 maximum to as high as $725,000 in high-cost areas. Currently, many home buyers on the Central Coast have to look at Jumbo loans as their financing option.

This is not a done deal yet but heading in the right direction.

Wasn’t it just a few weeks ago when we had 70 degree weather?? As my wife keeps saying…”it’s cold”. Saw the snow up in the North County on the news..brrrrrrrr.

I’m sure the folks in Nipomo are happy with all this rain though. They did a test of the ground water level in October and found it to be close to salt water intrusion. They are going to measure again in April and if still low, will adopt water conversation measures in May.

Here’s a tip if you have a automatic garage door opener…

I was having a heck of a time getting the light bulb in the opener to keep working. The vibration was breaking the filament in the light bulb after a few opens and closes. I replaced it with an energy efficient florescent bulb and it has been working for many months now (knock on wood)!

Real estate: Buy, sell, or hold?

That’s the question homeowners are asking in the midst of the worst real estate slump in decades. Our exclusive calculations can help you figure out what your house will be worth in coming years.

This article was sent in by one of our blog readers (thanks Stephen!).

Read the article here

Thanks to a well thought out and prepared presentation by Realtors, the County Board of Supervisors agreed to take another look at their proposal to require low-water use fixtures in several county areas! They are going to look at the implementation procedures to make this project more successful.

Chumash Casino has posted their upcoming entertainment calendar. What a variety!

KC & the Sunshine Band – 1/24
REO Speedwagon – 1/31
Johnny Mathis – 2/14
Liza Minneli – 2/21
Grand Funk Railroad – 2/28
Chris Rock – 3/7
Don Rickles – 3/13
ShoXC (mixed martial extreme combat) – 3/21
Carole King – 3/27
Tanya Tucker – 4/3
Julio Iglesias – 4/10
Boz Scaggs – 4/17
Kenny Rogers – 4/24
Montgomery Gentry – 5/8

Other local entertaiment:
Willie Nelson 2/8 at Madonna Inn Expo Center
Jefferson Starship – 3/1 at Mongos in Grover Beach
Central Coast Roller Derby – 2/23 at Paso Robles Event Center

I calculated the Months of Inventory (MOI) for SLO County has of today. It’s at 13.8 months which is lower than the 16.1 months at the beginning of the January.

So What’s Selling and Where??

I looked at the 168 homes currently Pending Sale in SLO County. Here’s the breakdown:

Cambria – 9 homes (Two 2-bedroom, Three 3-bedroom, One 4-bedroom)
Cayucos – 3 homes (Three 2-bedroom)
Morro Bay – 8 homes (One 2-bedroom, Six 3-bedroom, One 4-bedroom)
Los Osos – 8 homes (One 2-bedroom, Four 3-bedroom, Two 4-bedroom, One 5- bedroom)
San Luis Obispo – 17 homes (Three 2-bedroom, Six 3-bedroom, Seven 4-bedroom, One 5- bedroom)
Avila Beach – 1 home (One 3-bedroom)
Pismo Beach – 8 homes (One 2-bedroom, Five 3-bedroom, Two 4-bedroom)
Grover Beach – 8 homes (Two 2-bedroom, Four 3-bedroom, Two 4-bedroom)
Arroyo Grande – 21 homes (Two 2-bedroom, Nine 3-bedroom, Eight 4-bedroom, Two 5- bedroom)
Oceano – 3 homes (Three 3-bedroom)
Nipomo – 21 homes (Eleven 3-bedroom, Seven 4-bedroom, Three 5- bedroom)
Atascadero – 12 homes (Nine 3-bedroom, Three 4-bedroom)
Templeton – 8 homes (Four 3-bedroom, Four 4-bedroom)
Santa Margarita – 1 home (One 4-bedroom)
Paso Robles – 32 homes (Three 2-bedroom, Fourteen 3-bedroom, Ten 4-bedroom, Five 5- bedroom)

And the average Days on Market (DOM) for all these Pendings is….129 Days (or about 4 months, 1 week).