Pasadena CA Real Estate

In this post, Pasadena California Real Estate blog will reveal the secret and answer the question that every real estate home buyer has been asking recently.

How do I know when the Pasadena real estate market hits bottom?

 

Ladies and gentlmen, the answer is very simple:

 

There is only one way to know that the real estate market has bottomed out and that is when the real estate prices start going up!

 

Simple, isn't it?

There's no way, none what so ever, to time the real estate market.  Many have tried and some lucked into buying at the right time at the bottom of the market. 

Take a look at the graph below.  It shows how difficult it is to time the real estate market because it's not consistently linear.

Gary Keller, the author of "The Shift" explains it as the real estate buyers being in the lucky or unlucky zones or purchasing a home in the "safe" zone.

Gary says "You know the market has bottomed out when it starts back up and you know the market has peaked when it starts back down.  The safe zone is where smart people plan to buy an dsell.  Anyone who buys at the top of a real estate market is just unlucky and anyone who buys at the bottom of a market is just lucky."

Gary goes on to say that "people who buy in a buyers' market are the smart ones.  They're buying in the safe zone and living in the area of certainty.   They're not unrealistic and they're not greedy.  They know they can't predict the end of a bust, but they can see when a market has fallen consdierably."

So if you are interested in buying a home in Pasadena and are wondering if the Pasadena market has bottomed out, ask yourself:

Read more »

http://www.pasadenacarealestatehomes.com/004321

 

 

For the straight five years, San Marino California has the distinction of being in the top 5 rated California school districts.  The scores are out and San Marino (SMUSD) has earned the highest Academic Performance Index (API) score in the state - 944 out of 1,000!

The API is a single number, ranging from a low of 200 to a high of 1000, that reflects a school's performance level, based on the results of statewide testing.

3 of the 5 highest performing California School districts are in the Pasadena area - San Marino, La Canada and Arcadia. 

 

 

Here are the top California School Districts:

School District	Academic Performance Index (API)
San Marino Unified School District  (Los Angeles County)	944
Piedmont Unified School District (Alameda County)	919
La Canada Unified School District (Los Angeles County)	917
Manhattan Beach Unified School District (Los Angeles County)	909
San Ramon Unified School District (Contra Costa County), Arcadia Unified School District (Los Angeles County), and Palos Verdes Unified School District (Los Angeles County)	904

 

Congratulations are in order to the students, teachers, administration and parents! 

San Marino real estate and home values have always been driven by the success of its schools.  Many potential San Marino home buyers are looking  to buy in San Marino after doing an analysis of private school tuitions and investment in a San Marino homes.

With San Marino home prices holding steady, it's clear to see that schools are still the driving factor for many relocating families.  

If you are interested in moving to San Marino, click here to see all available homes for sale in San Marino.

Read More:  San Marino, California

                San Marino Real Estate Deals - my monthly Dusty Deals report!

Here are the actual API scores as posted on September 4, 2008:

Read more »

http://www.pasadenacarealestatehomes.com/0042E2

I was reading a post earlier today by Jennifer Allan about the definition of a good real estate agent. Jennifer is an author of five books about the business of selling real estate. She is a real estate coach and contributes regular articles on real estate related subjects to many different on-line venues.

I run into many different real estate agents on a daily basis. Some Pasadena real estate agents have tons of experience and others are just starting out. The prevalant change in the Pasadena real estate community is the change from being egocentric to customer focused.

To this day, many real estate agents flaunt their "multi-million" dollar status, being a top producer, being in the top % of their real estate company, etc. Not too many Pasadena real estate agents talk about how they can help their real estate consumer, what a real estate agent does for his or her customer to ensure that they're delighted with their service, etc.

Receiving and reviewing real estate purchase offer contracts, it is clear that the training for the majority of real estate professionals is not stellar. If you are or were a real estate seller, all you have to do is look at the real estate purchase counter offer to see how many items a great real estate agent would need to address or "clean up" prior to acceptance - and I'm not talking strictly about the price.

So... forgive me for going on about this, but it's a sensitive subject that is near and dear to my heart. One Pasadena real estate agent can create an impression on countless potential real estate consumers. As they say, perception is reality!

Here's a list that Jennifer put together when she was asked about "what makes a good real estate agent".

A Pasadena Real Estate Agent should:

"You know your market, your systems and your contracts. You are a good negotiator. You put your clients' needs above your need for a paycheck. You know how to properly price a home. You know what your seller needs to do to get his home ready for market. You know how to build rapport with your seller so that he trusts you. You know how to take decent photos. You know how to write an appealing MLS description. You return phone calls promptly. You preview listings so you don't waste your buyer's time. You know how much it costs to replace a 50 year old furnace. You have a handyman, a cleaning service and a good HVAC contractor. You're pleasant to other agents so they're happy to show your listings or accept your offers. You keep your brochure boxes full. Your lockboxes work..."

 

My additions to her list:

 

A great real estate agent writes clean contracts.

A great real estate agent strategizes with their client on how to make their offer stand out - price AND terms.

A great real estate agent takes educational classes and strives to continually learn as the industry is changing.

A great real estate agent networks with other real estate agents locally and throughout the country to share best practices.

A great real estate agent should respond to emails immediately.

A great real estate agent should know how to market a home they're selling on the web

A great real estate agent should be in touch with the changing real estate marketing techniques... Old school is good, but not enough... need to incorporate new and exciting techniques in helping buyers and sellers with their real estate needs.

A great real estate agent creates dynamic on-line presentations to market homes.

A great real estate agent is not afraid to say "I don't know", but I will research and get back to you.

A great real estate agent is honest and ethical!

 

There's a lot more that I can add to this, but you get my point, right?

Old school where it's all about me is OUT! New school - all about the real estate consumer is in.

Is your Pasadena real estate agent, a great real estate agent?

http://www.pasadenacarealestatehomes.com/0042C1

Another school year is getting ready to start this Thursday, September 4, 2008 in Pasadena, but being the local Pasadena real estate resource, we've been getting a lot of emails about available public schools in Pasadena.

Here's a comprehensive list of all PUSD (Pasadena Unified School District) schools and their contact information.  PUSD also encompasses Altadena.

Pasadena school boundary maps are available at www.pusd.us/oe with a convenient neighborhood school locator available which allows you to key in your Pasadena, Sierra Madre or Altadena address to find your elementary, middle or high school.

The schools below have all participated in the California Standard Tests which are designed to assess student achievement in grades 2 through 11 in a variety of different subject matters including English Language Arts and Math. 

When selecting a Pasadena school, many parents look at the Academic Performance Indesx or API.  It is the cornerstone of the California state accountability  system which measures each individual school's imporvement.

The top API rated Pasadena Elementary Schools for 2006-2007 are:

Read more »

http://www.pasadenacarealestatehomes.com/0042B6

There are two things that make Bradley Court stand out in Monterey Hills.

First, it's the only PUD (Planned Unit Development) in Monterey Hills. It consists of 16 spacious homes with their own garages and their own individual style.

Second, built in 2001, Bradley Court is the last property complex built on the hill, making it the newest.

 

Read more »

http://www.pasadenacarealestatehomes.com/00428B