Month: October 2008

One of the other cool things about our new MLS search is that I get detailed statistics on how many searches you all are doing. In the week that I’ve had the new search on the site, my site visitors have viewed 16,325 property details which kinda blows me away. It counts a property detail when you click on “more info” on homes on the MLS Search maps or click to see details on properties in the listing reports (new listings, REO, Short Sale, Price Changes).

Even though there might not be a lot of sales in the area these days this tells me that there is a lot of interest with local real estate.

It’s been awhile since I’ve seen premium gas below $3! I took this photo at Costco this afternoon.

One thing I’ve noticed about the Costco parking lot is that you really need to be careful if you’re a pedestrian and try to cross the main road that leads into the shopping center. I like to park and get some exercise by walking to Costco and then Circuit City. I’ve tried crossing at where the 3 way stop sign intersection but people coming into the center from Los Osos Valley road that don’t have a stop sign also don’t think they need to stop for pedestrians. I now go down further by Home Depot but there you have people racing down to the gas pumps thinking they aren’t in a parking lot with 15 mph speed limits. There’s no crosswalks so don’t assume anyone is going to stop for you if you’re trying to cross that road.

Halloween already? I feel like summer just got here. That means it’s almost time for holiday shopping, and thanks to the feds rate cuts, those of us who use credit may just splurge a little extra this season. I’ll take a 65” flat screen for those looking to get me something.

The recent rate cuts will probably affect you one way or the other. For those with a HELOC (Home Equity Line of Credit), most will see their rates drop since they are tied directly to the rate that is set by the Federal Reserve.

Credit card rates tend to lower as well, but not immediately like HELOCs. The cuts could also help those selling a home. While mortgage rates usually go in the same direction as the fed rate, we learned recently that doesn’t always happen. BUT it may increase the confidence of buyers and that is very important right now. The fed is trying to make money available and boost the economy and housing market. I am not sure everything they are doing is correct, but I do know they are trying which is a step in the right direction. I talked to a colleague of mine yesterday and a friend of his sold his house in Paso Robles in 2 days, so something is working!

For any questions, comments, rants, etc…, you can reach me at RBaker@PeregrineLending.com

One of the most asked questions I get about properties is what the HOA dues are. For mobile homes, the most asked question is what is the Space Rent. Well, I’m happy to announce that these two bits of information and now included on the property detail pages!

The new property detail pages are now linked in to the MLS reports (price changes, new listings, REO listings, Short Sale listings). So when you click on a MLS #, you’ll now view a comprehensive list of features of the property. The property detail pages are also linked into the MLS Search maps when you click “More Info” on a particular property you’re interested in.

The new property detail pages also display all the photos available for a property in the photo size they are stored on the MLS system. Other sites only show smaller thumbnails of photos or they display the photos larger than the actual photo, resulting in a blurry picture.

I hope you find the additional information useful in helping you find your next home. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

Black and Decker announced an energy saving product that will be out in early 2009. You just install it ontop of your existing light switch and it will automatically turn on/off the light based on motion detection. No rewiring needed.

Here’s a video of the product

Announcing new MLS Search Options!

We now added a MLS Search Menu that includes all sorts of listing searches including:

– REO Listings
– Short Sale Listings
– Form Searches
– New Listings
– Property Types (Horse Properties, Oceanfront, Gated, Granny Units, Vineyards, Tennis Court)
– Price Changes

The MLS Search menu is now on the home page – www.SloCountyHomes.com and our new MLS Search Central page – http://www.slocountyhomes.com/search_mls_page.htm

The MLS Search Central page is available by clicking “MLS Search” from the pages top menu bar too.

Both of my alarm clocks that automatically set the time thought that this weekend was when the clocks were set back an hour (it’s actually next weekend). Make sure yours didn’t do this as you’ll be an hour late for work tomorrow!

Here’s a photo I took of the launch tonite from the Pismo Pier.
(click to enlarge)

There’s a Vandenberg launch tonite of a Delta II rocket to deploy a satellite. The launch is scheduled for 7:28. I just received an update that there are no issues with the rocket or weather for tonite so it looks good for the launch. I’m thinking I may try to take some photos of it from the Pismo pier. If you happen to be out there and you see a guy with a black camera bag and tripod, say hi!

I’m really excited to announce a new MLS Search. You can get really detailed on what you search on such as choosing everything from REO properties, horse facilities, HOA Association (Yes/No), Days on Market, Type of Sewer and Water, and SO much more. You can save your searches and get email notifications when a property that meets every one of your criteria comes on the market too.

PLUS…you get to see lots more details about a particular property! There’s even a “Walk Score” at the bottom of the property detail pages that provides some interesting neighborhood info.

I’m finishing up on some tweaks and haven’t put links to it on the site yet but thought I’d let my loyal Blog readers a sneak preview to try it out and tell me what you think.

This is a link to the POWER search:
http://www.slocountyhomes.idxco.com/idx/3482/advancedSearch.php

If you want a simpler form, this is a link to the Basic search:
http://www.slocountyhomes.idxco.com/idx/3482/basicSearch.php

You’ll see a link to an “Address Search” too which you can just put in the name of a street (ex. Chorro) and city name and it will display all available listings on that street.

Note: The Days on Market (DOM) field is the maximum days on market. So, if you want to see all listings on the market 3 days or less, enter 3 in the search field.

Also, you can choose multiple items in a list by holding down your (control) or (Ctrl) key and then selecting the items you want included in the search.

If you have any comments, either email me or use my contact form.