The entire Santa Maria area has been severely impacted by the foreclosure crisis. Here and there, opportunities to obtain luxury and executive homes at foreclosure prices arise.
These homes are within walking distance to shopping centers which include popular new restaurants such as Panera Bread, Starbucks, Natural Cafe, and Yanagi Sushi. Also close are Albertsons, Food Maxx, Wal-Mart and Home Depot. The Traditions and Classics developments are at the center of some of the best new shops in Santa Maria. Both Homeowners Associations have a relatively low association fee under $200 per year, and the community is also host to a new fire station, Robin Ventura Field, and Rotary Centennial Park. The Bradley Square area is truly a great place to live on the Central Coast of California.
Many Santa Maria - Orcutt CA home owners who have the equity to sell without a short sale are trying to wait this market out. Sellers who have to sell due to job relocation, loss of income, or divorce don’t have that luxury, and the market is currently flooded with difficult to buy homes [...]
Oceano is one of California true beach towns. It is not saturated with deliberate commercialism, yet still sports cutesy names like Beach, Ocean and Surf Ave on its streets. Off the beaten path of Highway 101, Oceano instead straddles the scenic route, Highway 1. Known for the Oceano Dunes, a sand dune area of the coastline preserved for off road vehicle recreation and exploration, Oceano attracts many from the inland areas who seek to beat the heat.
Short sales are common these days. Santa Maria has 255 active short sale listings, Lompoc lists 72 short sales on the market, Nipomo has 14, and Arroyo Grande also has 14 active short sales. The difficult part is obtaining “lender approval” which adds delays to the process. Because approvals attach to a specific buyer, it is vital to find a committed buyer for your short sale. Often lenders require the process to start over if the buyer abandons their offer. This can draw out the process even further. But it is important to note that short sale transactions are closing all over the Central Coast. In the month of December, 18 short sales closed in Santa Maria (2 of these were my listings), 2 in Lompoc, 2 in Nipomo, and 1 in Arroyo Grande.
There are currently 73 active home and condo listings on the Grover Beach market, with a median asking price of $350,000. Of those 73 listings, 8 are short sales (sometimes referred to as pre-foreclosures) and 5 are REOs (bank owned properties).
Vandenberg Air Force Base provides a steady source of new arrivals to the Central Coast area. Due to the attractive climate and small town atmosphere many decide to never leave or to return to the area after they retire from military service. The biggest weather related complaints here tend to be fog and wind; complaints that generate laughter from those who have spent winters living with ice, shoveling snow, and hiding from freezing sleet.
Currently, there are 184 homes for sale in the Lompoc and Vandenberg Village CA areas. Of those 184 homes, 86 are short sales, and 37 are bank owned properties. So, 45% of the market is short saled and 20% of the market consists of post-foreclosure properties. If you are searching for Lompoc [...]
|
|
|
 |
|
