Category Orange County Real Estate | The Boutique Real Estate Group

August 19, 2013 by The Boutique Real Estate Group

Half of All Homes Are Being Purchased With Cash

52 Ovation, Irvine, Ca 92620

Story Via WSJ Real Estate News

August 15th, 2013

More than half of all homes sold last year and so far in 2013 have been financed without a mortgage, according to an analysis by economists at Goldman Sachs Group.

The analysis estimates that around 20% of all homes sold before the housing crash were “all-cash” sales (or around 30% of sales by dollar volume). But over the past seven years, the all-cash share of sales has more than doubled, increasing by more than 30 percentage points, according to economists Hui Shan, Marty Young and Charlie Himmelberg.

The Goldman study analyzed home sales figures from the Census Bureau and the National Association of Realtors and mortgage-origination data from the Mortgage Bankers Association and Lender Processing Services.

The surprisingly large cash-share of purchases helps to explain why home sales have jumped over the past two years despite more muted increases in broad measures of new mortgage activity, such as the MBA’s mortgage application index.

There’s no exact way to know who is responsible for all of these cash purchases, though they are likely to include some combination of investors, foreign buyers, and wealthy homeowners that don’t want to go through the hassle of getting a mortgage before closing on a sale. Mortgage lending standards have sharply tightened up since the housing bubble, with banks scrutinizing borrowers’ tax returns and bank statements to verify their incomes and the source of their down payment.

The Goldman analysis also estimates that around 44 cents of every $1 of homes sold currently is being financed, compared to 67 cents before the crisis.

Purchase-mortgage origination volumes have fallen from around $1.5 trillion in 2005, when the housing market peaked, to around $500 billion in each of the last two years.

While declines in the volume of homes being sold accounts for some of the decline, the Goldman economists estimate that around 40% of the decline is due to the drop-off in the amount of financing per home.

The Goldman analysis estimates that purchase-loan volumes will rise to around $750 billion next year and to $1.1 trillion by 2016.

April 26, 2013 by Raj Qsar

Interior Design & Staging | The Boutique Real Estate Group | Orange County Real Estate

April 25th, 2013
By Kathy Houghton, The Boutique Real Estate Group
Via Real Estate Staging Association

Real Estate Staging is the art of preparing and showcasing residential real estate for sale.

It is a systematic and coordinated method in which knowledge of hyper-local real estate, home renovations and creative design principles are applied to attract the vast majority of buyers to a prospective home. It is part of our teams marketing strategy and an essential part of our teams philosophy in preparing a home for the market in Orange County.

Preparing a property properly involves cleaning, de-cluttering, updating, and repairing, while showcasing the true potential of the home through furniture placement, accessories, art, color and light to create visual appeal to the vast majority of buyers. They way people live in a home is very different than the way we “sell” a home.

Staging shows buyers the true potential of the home. Buyers view professionally staged listings as “well maintained” and “model-like.”

Our team believes staged homes not only photograph better but also look better in person and will ultimately sell faster.

Thinking about selling? Give us a call today and we would be happy to give you a staging consult on your home.

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March 30, 2013 by Raj Qsar

20010 Livorno Ln, Yorba Linda, Ca 92886 | Yorba Linda Home For Sale

HD Video: http://goo.gl/IJQ7c

HD V-Tour: http://goo.gl/YKL78

Property Website: www.20010Livorno.com

Please visit www.TheBoutiqueRE.com for additional information on this single story home in Yorba Linda.

Tucked Into The Hillside of Yorba Linda is Corte Bella at Amalfi Hills, a Community of Luxury Single Family Homes. Located on a Cul-De-Sac This Single Story Home Boasts 2,405 sq ft of Living Space on an Expanded Approx. 11,000 sq ft Corner Lot Giving You Majestic Sunsets, City Light Views and Ultimate Privacy. Features Include A Gourmet Chef’s Kitchen, Stainless Steel Professional Grade Appliances, Granite Slab Counters, Magnificent Center Island, Plantation Shutters Throughout & An Open Concept Floor Plan. Three Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, 2 Car Attached Garage with Custom Built-Ins, Formal Dining Room, Formal Living Room & An Expansive Master Suite With French Doors Truly Highlight This Gorgeous Home. The Master Bath Features A Walk-In Closet, Dual Vanities, Solid Surface Counters, Separate Shower & Elevated Jacuzzi Spa Tub. Custom Landscaping Surrounds This Home with Flagstone Inserts, Colored Concrete, Perfectly Manicured Landscape, Lush Fruit Trees, Custom Putting Green and an Extra Long Driveway. Home to Yorba Linda High School and Minutes Away From Black Gold Golf Course, Yorba Linda Country Club, The Nixon Library, World Class Shopping, Fabulous Entertainment & Easy Freeway Access.

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March 26, 2013 by Raj Qsar

xPlode 2013 | Newport Beach | Technology for Real Estate

Don’t miss this power-packed, one day conference on real estate marketing & technology featuring 12 top speakers from all over the US.

Top sponsors include Realtor.com, Homes.com, Market Leader, Cartavi, Exit Realty, Alos Research, Broadview Mortgage and many others.

Here is the link to the conference http://xplodethis.com/newport/

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March 15, 2013 by Raj Qsar

Top 99 Realtors on Twitter | Does Your Agent Tweet?

By Raj Qsar via Websitebox-Team

Selling Real Estate 140 Characters at a time.

#top99realtors

A look at the national list of the top 99 Realtors who are utilizing Twitter to gain regional & national influence in this social world of ours. Information is based on the amount of followers, quality of tweets, clout and influence.

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February 14, 2013 by Raj Qsar

Why video, why now?

Sunday Feb 10^th, 2013
By Raj Qsar, Principal | Owner of Premier Orange County Real Estate
@rajqsar

Wikipedia gives us a history of the word emotion as it dates back to 1579, when it was adapted from the French word emouvoir, which means “to stir up.” This truly puts a capsule around why we have made video a primary marketing footprint for our clients as we transition into 2013. We are looking to “stir-up” those deep emotions of buyers looking for residential real estate in Orange County, Ca.

We want to showcase the emotion of what its like to live in this particular home, in this particular neighborhood, in this particular city within the curtains of Orange County, Ca. We start by spending time with our sellers and asking them what they truly love the most about their home, neighborhood & city and what they will miss the most. This allows us to begin storyboarding our video (we think of videos as mini-movies) around those particular aspects that they love so much and can include hot spots like restaurants, schools, parks, farmers markets or even the weather!

One of our favorite videos was “the pool party” video in a great little town in North Orange County called Brea. What we showcase here is the true lifestyle of this community and what a buyer and to-be homeowner could expect from living in this family friendly neighborhood. Video Link Here. One HUGE Vision, Two days of shooting, 1 night shoot, 3 luxury cars, 2 Cinematographers, lots of equipment, 12 “actors,” a ton of edits in post production truly brought to life the unique qualities of this FAB city!

Regardless of price point, the emotional aspect of video can really play a part in a home buyers quest of going from searching for a home to finding a home. Another fabulous video we produced was for a lower priced Luxury Low Rise Condo in the City of Garden Grove in Orange County called Chapman Commons represented by our very own Jeremy Lehman (who made a cameo appearance in the video with his new puppy Max as well). Video Link Here. Listed for $319,000 this property sold for $22,000 more than an identical unit right next door and also closed for $48,000 over the appraised value. How’s that for stirring up emotions!

Got a chopper? Ray Fernandez sure does! How else do we capture the lifestyle of La Habra Heights just on the Orange County & LA border? This hillside community was built with Rural in mind. Each property is typically set on at least 1 acre of land, which gives residents & homeowner’s privacy and luxury. There are no sidewalks or street lights but plenty of wildlife and trails throughout this great city where you can enjoy the great outdoors. Watch Video Here. One of the best ways to really capture La Habra Heights and this property is from up above!

Video marketing truly starts with a vision. What’s your vision for this home, in this neighborhood, in this city? What do you know about this home, this neighborhood & this city that you want to share. What makes your city so great? Once the vision is set then it needs to be put it into motion. C.S. Lewis says, “There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind.”

Real Estate & Video marketing is nothing new in our industry and just like anything we do to market properties it first begins with an idea. That idea needs to be captured, created and published for the road ahead.

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February 1, 2013 by Raj Qsar

Raj Qsar | 100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders | Inman News | 2013

So truly honored & humbled to be able to share this recognition with this exceptional group of individuals.

Being named as Real Estate Industry’s 100 Most Influential Leaders truly has me speechless!

Inman News today releases the Inman 100 report, an annual list of the Most Influential Real Estate Leaders that recognizes those who embody leadership, ingenuity, strength, conviction, power, persistence, perseverance and progress — their voices and actions can move the industry toward change.

They include the industry’s brain trust, power brokers and deal-makers, and those outside the industry who impact the business of buying and selling homes.

Inman News accepted and reviewed hundreds of reader nominations via an open, online nominations process. An Inman News in-house review and selection process considered reader-selected nominees and also suggested additional individuals worthy of consideration.

See The Top 100: http://www.inman.com/inman100

View Raj’s Recognition: http://www.inman.com/inman100/2013/raj-qsar

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January 10, 2013 by Raj Qsar

Why Better Technology Means Better Service

By Jeremy Lehman

The Boutique Real Estate Group

When you think of real estate, the last thing that comes to your mind is probably technology. Technology has come a long way in the past few years, but unfortunately, the real estate industry tends to lag behind the curve. Sometimes decades behind; have you seen our MLS?

Today, our team employs an industry leading approach to improving response time, customer service, client convenience, and business management using mobile technology and cloud based applications. We work closely with vendors to help tweak their products or even create new ones that can help our team and clients enjoy a painless process of signing documents, accessing property information, communication, scheduling activities, sharing documents, and more. Our team is on the cutting edge of using technology in real estate. Every member of our team is equipped with an iPhone, iPad, Laptop, and mobile internet connection, allowing us to work from anywhere at any time.

Our listings receive a best in class marketing campaign with HDR photography, HD video, HD V-Tours, professional graphics & design, staging & interior design individual property websites, and even floor plans; creating maximum exposure and ultimately a maximum price. We use social media, blogs, and the most visited real estate websites to promote our listings, open houses, and interact with potential buyers. We’ve also created online groups of the top agents throughout Southern California to share listings with the agents that actually do business. Our use of video has received national accolades & recognition, but better yet, gives potential buyers the #1 thing they’re looking for. Listings with videos tend to sell for more money and faster than listings without. Our open house events are almost always packed with potential buyers and curious neighbors. To take advantage of the opportunity, we use an iPad application to track the visitors, follow up with property information, and notify them of any future price changes. We’ve also been able to assemble a big list of interested buyers for the neighborhoods we service.

Our clients can expect a quick response, the convenience of signing contracts via your mobile phone/tablet or computer (some transactions require “wet” signatures), maximum exposure for your property resulting in a maximum price, regular updates and communication and market updates. We know technology does not replace service, skills, and knowledge, we just use to better serve you. Our agents are all proven industry experts as well.

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December 28, 2012 by Raj Qsar

5 Real Estate Trends to Look For in 2013

Posted By The KCM Crew On December 27, 2012, www.kcmblog.com

Predicting trends during volatile economic times in American is no easy task. However, we are going to give it our best shot. We strongly believe these are the five real estate items we should keep an eye on in 2013:

Demand for Housing Will Continue to Surge

The housing market has turned the corner and there is no reason to believe that buyer demand will not maintain momentum throughout 2013. Household formations shot up to boom-time levels in 2012 and are projected to increase at even a faster rate over the next twelve months. A lack of inventory will be more of a challenge to sales increases than will a lack of demand.

Generations X and Y Will Prove They Believe in Homeownership

Contrary to what many have hypothesized over the last few years, young adults (18-35 year olds) are just as committed to homeownership as previous generations. Recent studies have shown:

43% already own a home
72% see homeownership as part of their personal American Dream
93% of those currently renting plan to buy a home

This, along with the increase in household formations mentioned above, makes us believe that 2013 will be the year that many of these young adults will jump into homeownership.

Prices Will Continue to Increase

Pricing of any item is determined by supply and demand. Demand for housing will remain strong throughout 2013. At the same time, the supply of homes ready for is shrinking in many parts of the country. Outside of a few states that still have challenges with large inventories of distressed properties (NY, NJ, CT, IL for example), prices will appreciate nicely.

Even in the areas that are still dealing with high percentages of foreclosures and short sales, prices will not tumble dramatically. The increase in demand will absorb much of this inventory. In these areas, prices will either flatten or perhaps soften to a small degree.

Move-Up Sellers Will Return in Great Numbers

Perhaps what many will find as the biggest surprise of 2013 will be the return of the ‘move-up’ seller. Over the last several years negative equity has prevented many of these sellers from moving up to the house of their dreams. However, with prices recovering, more and more of these sellers will realize that now may be their greatest opportunity to make the move to a lifestyle they always wanted.

With home prices expected to increase and more stringent mortgage qualifications (QR and QRM) scheduled to be announced this year, we believe that the first half of the year will bring many of these sellers/buyers to the market.

The Consumer Will Demand That Their Agent Be an Expert

Real Estate professionals who have invested the money, time and energy to truly understand what is happening and why it is happening will separate themselves from their competition and do very well this year.

Those who take that next step of learning how to simply and effectively communicate the market to their clients will be seen as experts. These industry leaders will dominate their markets.

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