Good news on the housing front! The latest study from UCLA Anderson Forecast suggests that the plunge in the housing market has reached its lowest point and could soon stabilize at the current low levels. Although Pleasanton and the East Bay in general have been harder hit by the downturn because previous demand has driven prices up and sub-prime mortgages became more popular in the area. The study suggests that before year’s end, home values should reach a bottom that would restore affordable prices to the residential market.

For the complete article visit: http://www.contracostatimes.com/search/ci_9615165?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com

Great news! Home sales inch up in April! It is nice to have good some news in the real estate market! Bay Area activity increased in the month of April. Different counties had varying increases with San Francisco County showing the strongest increase. Alameda County did not perform as well, but this takes into consideration many areas of the county, including Pleasanton. Pleasanton homeowners should be happy as there was a definite increase in activity during the month of April. It appears the availability of money and the mortgage markets may be finally stabilizing, as more favorable loan programs and terms are available to buyers.

Market rises on recovery optimism. Investors laid bets that the economy and companies are in a recovery mode despite rising oil costs. In recent weeks results from companies outside of the battered financial and housing sectors were stronger than expected. Friday’s employment report and Mondays data on the service sector are showing that investors are beginning to take more risk. Broader stock indicators also rebounded.

For the full text of this article go to: http://www.contracostatimes.com/search/ci_9168242?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com

Great news for the housing market: Yesterday Fannie announced that they would purchase jumbo conforming loans at the same price as regular conforming!

Federal Reserve Cut Its Interest Rate by ¼ Percent to 2 Percent. This is the 7th straight cut in the key rate. The good news is that the U.S. Economy grew by .6% in the first quarter of 2008. Although not a substantial growth figure, it may ease concerns that the U.S. Economy had contracted and may be in a recession. Only time will tell whether the reduction in this key rate will stimulate the economy further and possibly being to help the troubled financing in real estate industries.

To read the full text of this article, go to:
http://www.contracostatimes.com/search/ci_9110840?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com

Formal Federal Reserve chief says home inventory should begin to diminish. “It will not be until early 2009 that we will get close to having eliminated most of this home inventory. But it is very likely that home prices will stabilize well before that.” This may be good news for Pleasanton homeowners and home owners across the country. Greenspan indicated the drop in U.S. home prices will probably drop “well before” early next year as the number of houses on the market diminishes, aiding an economic rebound.

For a full text of this article visit: http://www.contracostatimes.com/business/ci_8854908?nclick_check=1

Yesterday (Tuesday, April 1) the “DOW Jones industrials surged nearly 400 points, and all the major indexes were up more than 3 percent.” This is good news for Pleasanton buyers and sellers! Investors believe that possibly the worst part of the nations credit problems have passed and financial service companies are taking aggressive action to improve their capital base. For buyers, this could signal more availability of funds for purchase, which in turn is good news for sellers who are trying to sell their real estate.
To read the full text of this article go to: http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080401/wall_street.html

Good news for both Pleasanton home owners and home buyers! The Federal Reserve announced a rescue package on Tuesday (March 11) that would pour as much as $2 Billion into banks and investment houses. This is a highly significant move directed at making funds available for mortgage loans needed by buyers in order to purchase. It is anticipated that this effort may stabilize what have been turbulent financial markets. Many are also predicting another Fed interest rate cut next week to further encourage borrowing and other economic activity. The Fed stated it is the first time they will accept mortgage-backed securities, which will make more funds available to borrowers. This will make it easier to purchase homes, which in turn will make it easier for sellers to move their properties.

See link below to read complete article that appeared on the front page of the business section of the Valley Times Wednesday, March 12
http://www.insidebayarea.com/business/ci_8543574

Real Estate is one of the quickest and best ways to increase your net worth, because you can leverage your capital. Take advantage of it!

Look for the Pleasanton Real Estate Market to turn around in 2008, despite all the recent negative publicity about mortgages and home sales. All the ingredients are here for the current buyers market to transition to the seller’s market, we have all seen for years, when it comes to Pleasanton home sales.

Here is why:

- Interest rates are low, home values are approximately 10% off their highs a couple of years ago.
- The 2007 inventory of new homes, that competed with the resale market are nearly 100% sold out.

Take advantage of the opportunity that exists now before it is gone to actually negotiate the price with the seller to fair market value and buy at or near the bottom of cycle, not the top.

Click link below to see article in todays (2/29/08) Valley Times Business Section
http://www.contracostatimes.com/business/ci_8405040