California Association of Realtors Buyers Survey

The 2008 Buyers survey was just released from the California Association of Realtors (CAR). The survey reports that 78 percent of Buyers used the Internet to search for a home. Back in 2002, only around 20 percent of Buyers were using the Internet to look for their next home. In the 2007 survey, 72 percent used the Internet.

Because the data they use is from earlier this year, the current percentage is probably now over 80 percent!! No wonder real estate ads in newspapers and magazines no longer are effective.

The California Association of Realtors released their median home price comparisons for the state today. They have SLO County median home price dropping 18.7% from June to July which shows that you have to take month-to-month data comparisons with a grain of salt. With the lower number of Sales we’re having in a month, it doesn’t take too many high-end or low-end sales to make a big change in the numbers. That’s why I do quarterly reports for median home price comparisons.

Plenty of data here

The California Association of REALTORS today released their latest report on the California Real Estate market.

C.A.R. reports sales decrease 29.9 percent in July, median price of a home in California at $567,360, up 5.1 percent from year ago.

Here is some parts from the press release:

Today’s market is slowing as sellers maintain often unrealistic pricing expectations and buyers have more properties to choose from,” said C.A.R. President Vince Malta. “In addition, unlike the slowdown we experienced in the 1990s, homeowners today are not under duress to sell due to job losses. The urgency that characterized the market for the last few years is now gone for all but well-priced properties.”

“With inventory levels double that of a year ago, annual price appreciation for the state slowed from the double-digit rates we experienced throughout all of last year to single digits this year,” he said. “And in some regions of the state prices are down from a year ago. However, with a 7.5-month supply of homes for sale in July, we’re far below the peak of February 1991, when there was an 18-month supply on the market.”

There are some markets in California that did see appreciation in July too:

Statewide, the 10 cities and communities with the greatest median home price increases in July 2006 compared with the same period a year ago were: Taft, 58.1 percent; Hercules, 35.1 percent; Morgan Hill, 33 percent; Barstow, 32.1 percent; Mill Valley, 31.3 percent; San Juan Capistrano, 29.7 percent; Loma Linda, 28.3 percent; Lodi, 24.9 percent; Compton, 24.8 percent; Laguna Niguel, 24.8 percent; Inglewood, 24.3 percent.

Read the entire release here.

The California Association of Realtors released March 2006 median home prices for cities across the state and the increase from March 2005.

San Luis Obispo County

$550,000.00

$478,000.00

15.1%

Arroyo Grande

$804,500.00

$664,250.00

21.1%

Atascadero

$457,500.00

$423,500.00

8.0%

Grover Beach

$464,500.00

$455,000.00

2.1%

Los Osos

$530,000.00

$455,000.00

16.5%

Morro Bay

$690,000.00

$522,000.00

32.2%

Nipomo

$669,000.00

$653,000.00

2.5%

Paso Robles

$470,000.00

$435,250.00

8.0%

San Luis Obispo

$650,000.00

$560,000.00

16.1%

Other cities in California are listed here.