Pacifica is known for its fog – maybe you’ve seen the Where In The Fog is Pacifica? t-shirts.  What it should be better known for is its beauty.

The city’s edge is the Pacific Ocean – it doesn’t get more beautiful.  There are many, many places to hike and bike.  There’s a trail that runs just about top to bottom.

Pacifica Skatepark

Sea Bowl

Pacifica Pier

Adventure Out Surf Lessons

Surf Camp Pacifica

Park Pacifica Stables

Clay Creations

Sanchez Art Center

Pacifica Performances

Sharp Park Golf Course

Sanchez Adobe

Frontierland Park

Popularity: 57% [?]

This week’s money saver is your chance to win a free closet makeover.

Thanks Nickie.

Popularity: 29% [?]

The number of available homes is up again for the third week in a row – that’s what’s expected for this time of year as sellers get ready for Spring.  The number of homes that have gone into contract is also up for the third week in a row.

The most expensive house to sell this past week was a 5,450 square foot home in Portola Valley at about $4 mil; the least expensive a 740 square foot home in Redwood City that sold for $250,00.

Got a San Mateo County real estate question?   Call me at 650.888.9268 or send me an email Vicki [at] CallVicki.com.   If you like what you’ve read, subscribe to the San Mateo Real Estate Blog feed.

Start your home search here with me at San Mateo Real Estate Blog.

Popularity: 32% [?]

Oprah’s on target this year with her Best Life Series.  Get your life back on target using her tv series and free webinars to inform and educate yourself in key areas.

Popularity: 35% [?]

One of the stimulus items enacted last year was a tax credit for first time buyers.  Well, not really first time.  If you haven’t owned a home in three years, you’re a first-timer.

Buy between April 8, 2008 and July 1, 2009 and take advantage of the offer.

What do you get? $7500 credit on your tax return.

How do you qualify?  You must be a couple making less than $150,000 adjusted gross income; $75k for singles.

I’m not a CPA so check with yours for the details.  You can also read more about it from the National Association of Realtors’ PDF.

Got a San Mateo County real estate question?   Call me at 650.888.9268 or send me an email Vicki [at] CallVicki.com.   If you like what you’ve read, subscribe to the San Mateo Real Estate Blog feed.

Start your San Mateo home search here.

Popularity: 41% [?]

The number of available homes is up this week – we should continue to see more and more for sale as we move into Spring.  Home owners have been conditioned to put their homes on the market in the Spring – whether that’s the best idea is for another post.  But the question will be whether or not the trend of declining inventory will continue.

For the several weeks that I’ve been tracking it, the number of homes for sale throughout San Mateo County has declined – not by much but it has.

The other obvious trend that continued this week is that more homes sold under the asking price than at or over.

Although more houses in Daly City are selling under the asking price than at or over, declining inventory is a trend that continued this week.

the number of homes for sale in Burlingame has dropped into the low 30′s the past two weeks which is down from the two previous studies which show inventory in the high and then low 40′s.

Got a San Mateo County real estate question?   Call me at 650.888.9268 or send me an email Vicki [at] CallVicki.com.   If you like what you’ve read, subscribe to the San Mateo Real Estate Blog feed.

Start your San Mateo home search here.

Popularity: 39% [?]

Looking to cut your monthly housing budget?  Astound could be a way to do it.  They offer digital cable, internet and telephone services at a much discounted price from Comast.

Their service area is limited.  So first check to see if they’re in your neighborhood.

San Mateo On-line Coupons

CouponMom.com

San Mateo Money Savers – Grocery Coupons

Popularity: 41% [?]

When Realtors get paid, it’s a trickle-down effect.  There are over a hundred other professionals who also get paid:  Pest inspectors, property inspectors, photographers, stagers, house cleaners, haulers, painters, window cleaners, title companies, disclosure companies, home owners associations, transaction coordinators, movers, sign companies, printers, landscapers,  locksmiths – that’s just off the top of my head.

So what’s the reality of the market?  The number of home sales is down – way down.  Meaning there are a lot of families struggling out there.  Title companies and real estate offices are closing multiple offices at a time – and no doubt that the other companies that service the industry are too.

Here’s the facts:

Pacifica is a familiar market to me.  I grew up there and worked only that market until a few years ago when it became apparent that I needed to broaden my coverage area.  Although the number of sales only declined 9% between 2007 and 2008, the dramatic difference is looking at the height – 2003 with 423 houses sold – and then looking at 2008.  That’s a whopping 59% decline.

San Mateo is a similar picture:  19% decline between 2007 and 2008.  47% decline from the height of 897 houses sold in 2004 compared to the 473 in 2008.

As I’ve shown in several past statistical reports, Daly City is boucing back.  The deal-seekers have hit it hard – sales dropped to a low of 334 in 2007 to 438 in 2008; only 22% off from its 2004 high of 558.

Popularity: 62% [?]

You can learn about all the happenings in San Mateo via your email box.  Would you like to know what the City Council is up to?  What’s happening in planning and development?  Or how about events the libraries are having?

Sign up at the Official website of San Mateo.

Popularity: 39% [?]

Okay, so I took a little hiatus.  The holidays wiped me out – I got audited by the IRS.  Seems the real estate community is a huge target for 2007.

It’s onward and upward from here.  No turning back.  Here we go.

I’m not going to take the time to analyze any of this because the end of the year does strange things to statistics.  A lot of the contracts for selling the houses expired on the 30th and were reinstated.  So the Available and Listed categories are probably off a bit here and there.

Until next week – baring another IRS audit.

Popularity: 45% [?]