Real Estate Information

What are 2010 new home buyers going to be looking for? Looking Ahead: Cents and Sensibility Top Priorities for Homeowners in 2010- The survey of nationwide potential new home buyers and existing home owners who are planning improvements in the next few months found top priorities to include price, energy-efficiency, organization and comfort.

“Not surprisingly, we continue to see a ‘cents and sensibility’ approach when it comes to buying or improving a home, with practicality and price being top priorities,” said Nusbaum. “Today’s homeowner is also looking for a home that fits the entire family–from a multi-tasking home office, to expanding storage space needs, to a living room that can adapt to advancements in home entertainment and technology.” Read more…

Let’s not forget the mature home buyer!    A survey of consumers and builders, conducted in 2009 by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the MetLife Mature Market Institute, has yielded a new round of data revealing the housing preferences of the 55+ consumer. Read more…

Big Things come in small packages! Homeowners surveyed by Better Homes and Gardens magazine said downsizing was becoming a bigger priority: 36% said in November 2009 that they expected their next home to be “somewhat smaller” or “much smaller” than their current home versus 32% who said that in 2008. “Not surprisingly, we see a ‘cents and sensibility’ approach when it comes to buying or improving a home, with practicality and price being the top priorities,” said Eliot Nusbaum, the magazine’s executive editor of home design.  Read More      

Check out our New Feature

We are going to be posing a question of the week to everyone on The Steve Williams Team. We invite you to post your answers as well.

From time to time we will also include a short bio featuring different members of the team. We hope you enjoy this and gain a little in-site into who we are.

We are looking forward to hearing everyone's answers and thoughts, so come on post your answer too!

Who do you want to win the Super Bowl and why?  (Saints vs. Colts)

Let us know what you think!

Here is what members of The Steve Williams Team have to say:

Don Anderson - My wife and I were both rooting for the Vikings (after we were disappointed that the Packers were out), to go all the way.  Since last week's game, Claudia is all about the Saints but I want the Colts to win.  The Saints were very impressive last week so it is going to be a great match-up.  To be the Colts seem to be more organized and more fluid in their plays.  Go Colts!

 Don Anderson, Broker Associate:  DRE# 00860761

Coldwell Banker Ponderosa Real Estate
The Steve Williams Team
(530) 872-5430  Direct/Voice Mail
(530) 518-5990  Cell Phone
(530) 872-5444  Office
(530) 876-8292  Fax
don.cb@comcast.net
www.northstatehomes.com

David Lenarcic- I want the Colts to win the Super Bowl.  I feel that we are amidst, quite possibly, the best quarterback career in history.  Peyton Manning is putting up numbers that, when said and done, will rival any other Hall of Fame quarterback’s.  If he adds another Super Bowl championship to his resume, it will be tough not to consider him in the conversation of best quarterbacks ever.  It is exciting as a football fan too be a part of this history-making

Christy Voigt - Don't really care, just an excuse to get together with friends.

Sandee Williams - That's a tough one....whoever plays the best game has my vote (does that sound political?????)  If it was the Niners, definitely them. 

But if I really had to choose, I'll vote for the Saints because they haven't been to the Super Bowl and it would be nice for New Orleans to have some good karma come their way.

Brian Voigt-The colts are going to win because Payton manning is just to good. I would like Drew Brees and the saints to win because he is an outstanding person. All in all it should be an exciting close, high scoring game

Sheri Palade- Well truthfully; I could care less who wins the Super bowl. J don’t like either.

 I’ll be rooting for the Saints as the new team on the Big stage! I expect a great high scoring contest,

Steve

Featured  Team Mate

Meet David Lenarcic

This is a very exciting time for me in both my family life and in my career.  This last August, my wife and I had our first child; a baby girl.  Juliette Rose is the love of my life and I am having a wonderful time as a new father.

At work, I am focusing on the positives of the current real estate landscape.  These last few years have been tough for many home owners.  On the flip side, these new market conditions have been great for others; in particular first time home buyers.  As a Buyer Specialist with The Steve Williams Team I have been able to assist many young families in the purchase of their first home.  Because of the lower home values, good interest rates, and buyer incentives, many people that were once priced out of the market are now able to be a part of the American dream of home ownership.

David Lenarcic -

Boy, Oh Boy, I’m ready for some good news, what about you? While economists are spewing gloom, based on what their 2010 forecasts are telling them, the American people are tired of hearing it and think improvements are ahead.

That's the positive chord struck by Federal Reserve Bank senior economist Gary Zimmerman from San Francisco, during his presentation at the Tri-County Economic Forecast Conference last week.

Whatever way the Federal Reserve collects and analyzes information pointing to the negative economy, the agency has found that the American people are a positive bunch.

"Their expectations are that things are going to get better," Zimmerman told the 450 who gathered at Chico State University for the annual event put on by the Center for Economic Development.  Read more…

Economic Week in Review: Slow but steady growth. Another week brought more mixed news about the U.S. economy. The Federal Reserve's most recent Beige Book showed continued signs of economic growth, while many businesses increased their inventories, signaling an expected pickup in sales. Consumer prices continued to rise slowly, but inflation remains in check. Meanwhile, December's retail sales were less than expected, despite a relatively good holiday shopping season. For the week, the S&P 500 Index dropped 0.8% to 1,136, while the yield of the 10-year U.S. Treasury note fell 13 basis points to 3.70%. Read more…

What’s ahead for home prices? Sales are ticking up, but don’t expect prices to follow until the middle of the year. In the second half of 2009, the housing market seemed to catch its breath after struggling to recover from the most severe downturn since the Great Depression. The first-time homebuyers tax credit and low mortgage rates lured buyers who’d been dithering and helped move the glut of foreclosures that has been dragging down home values. Read more…

Rates on 30-year mortgages drop to 5.06 pct, second straight weekly decline. The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage was 5.06 percent this week, down from 5.09 percent a week earlier, mortgage company Freddie Mac

Rates dropped to a record low of 4.71 percent in early December, pushed down by an aggressive government campaign to reduce consumers' borrowing costs, but then rose steadily for the rest of the month.  Read more… said.

Unemployed?  Good news! CHICO — The new Obama-appointed director of rural development for California wants to know what can jump-start job creation in Butte County. Read More…

Support for the Housing Market is on the way! Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Commissioner David Stevens today announced a set of policy changes to strengthen the FHA’s capital reserves, while enabling the agency to continue to fulfill its mission to provide access to homeownership for underserved communities. Read more…

Have you been thinking about buying but just not sure! The federal income tax credit for homebuyers has been extended and expanded to now include homeowners who wish to "move on" after 5 years of living in their current property, as well as first-time homebuyers. Read more…

Tools you can use… Home Value Estimator

http://www.coldwellbanker.com/real_estate/Home_Value_Estimator

Better yet Steve@SteveWilliamsTeam.com

Selling your home? Contact Steve for free advice on presenting your home in the best light!  Questions to ask yourself when preparing your home for sale, to ensure it looks the best it possibly can to the buyer's eyes. Click here

The New Year has begun let’s start if off with a laugh - Check out the top ten funny New Year resolutions for David Hasselhoff.  Don’t hassel the Hoff Man! 

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Time Magazines Person of The Year - A bald man with a gray beard and tired eyes is sitting in his oversize Washington office, talking about the economy. He doesn't have a commanding presence. He isn't a mesmerizing speaker. He has none of the look-at-me swagger or listen-to-me charisma so common among men with oversize Washington offices. His arguments aren't partisan or ideological; they're methodical, grounded in data and the latest academic literature. When he doesn't know something, he doesn't bluster or bluff. He's professorial, which makes sense, because he spent most of his career as a professor.

He is not, in other words, a typical Beltway power broker. He's shy. He doesn't do the D.C. dinner-party circuit; he prefers to eat at home with his wife, who still makes him do the dishes and take out the trash. Then they do crosswords or read.
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Weekly Primary Mortgage Rates

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