Home Buyers Find Bidding Wars Again

Home buyers nationwide are being caught by surprise as the spring selling season swings into high gear. Bidding wars are back!

Many buyers are finding themselves competing for the same house. Unlike the bidding wars of the past, these recent bidding wars are the result of a shortage of inventory.

Sellers, meanwhile, are not seeing huge price increases or hefty profits, like some did during the boom years when prices were going through the roof. Competitive bidding in this current enviornment is being caused by tight inventories. More evidence that housing demand is starting to pick up again after a six-year slump.

According to a Wall Street Journal quarterly survey, the inventory of homes listed for sale declined sharply in all 28 markets they track. At the height of the housing crisis in 2008, there was an 11.1 months' supply of home for sale. In March, there was a 6.3 months' supply. Real estate agents normally consider a market to be balanced when there is a six month supply of homes for sale.

An index recently reported by the National Association of Realtors measuring the number of contracts signed to purchase previously owned homes rose in March to its highest level in nearly two years, up 12.8% from a year ago, and 4.1% from February.

Market inventory varies in different parts of the country, but the general consensus nationwide is, the number of houses for sale is edging down.

Inventories seem to be declinging for several reasons. Some sellers have taken their homes off the market to wait for prices to increase and market conditions to improve. Investors, meanwhile, have been outmaneuvering consumers for the best properties, often making cash offers that are quickly accepted by anxious sellers.

Improvements are obviously investments in your home, and most homeowners have a list of things they'd like to do to their home to make it their dream home. Things like: gutting the kitchen, reconfiguring the bathroom or repainting the entire outside of the home.

Some economists say inventory levels are artificially low because Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the nation's largest banks have been slow to list hundreds of thousands of foreclosed homes they own. Lenders slowed down the foreclosures after record-keeping abuses came to light 18 months ago.

If those same banks and lenders step up their efforts to unload their properties, inventories could quickly rise, putting pressure on prices again.

Even with bidding wars popping up again, pushing prices higher in some areas, many homes are still selling for prices much lower than they were a few years ago. Meanwhile, rents are rising at a time when mortgage levels have fallen to or near record lows. Many renters are finding rates so low they can now afford a house that was out of their price range just a year or two ago.

Housing markets face another danger. More than 11 million homeowners owe more than their home is worth, causing the trade-up market to completely stall. When homeowners can't sell their home, let along come up with the down payment for their next home, move up buying tends to dry up.

Mortgage lending standards remain very tough. Many "deals" fall apart because homes won't appraise for the price buyers have agreed to pay, and sellers are not willing to come down even more than they already have.

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Mortgage Rates Remain Near Record Lows

Mortgage rates have dipped to near record lows again, keeping home buying and refinancing very affordable.

Last week, mortgage buyer Freddit Mac reported the rate on the 30-year fixed rate loan had dropped to 3.88%, down from 3.9% a week ago. The rate hit 3.87% back in February, the lowest long term mortgage rate in history.

The average on the 15-year fixed rate mortgage dipped to 3.12%, down from 3.13% the previous week. The national average hit an all-time low of 3.11% just two weeks ago. Average rates do not include extra fees, aka points, which most borrowers have to pay in order to get the lowest rates. One point equals 1 percent of the loan amount.

So far, record low mortgage rates have done very little to boost home sales. Analysts suspect that a record warm winter may have something to do with that, as many sales that would have normally taken place during the spring buying season, actually took place in January and February.

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Spring Cleaning For Your Finances

With Spring in full force most everywhere now, and tax season once again behind us, now is a good time to do some "spring cleaning for your finances" to help you eliminate some of the paper clutter, and get better organized.

Here are some tips on Spring Cleaning for Your Finances and your office record keeping…

We welcome your comments and suggestions below.

Tax advantages of owning a Los Angeles County home are probably not the number one motivating force behind buying a home. But the tax advantages associated with owning your own home are significant, and may be a factor in your decision to buy a home.

Mortgage Interest Deduction

If you itemize deductions you're generally able to deduct the interest you pay on debt resulting from a loan used to buy, build, or improve your principal residence, provided that the loan is secured by your Los Angeles County home.

The ability to deduct mortgage interest also generally applies to second homes, though special rules apply if you rent the home out for part of the year. Interest you pay on up to $1 million in mortgage debt ($500,000 if you're married and file a separate federal income tax return) can qualify for the deduction (different rules may apply if you incurred the debt prior to October 14, 1987).

Interest on qualifying home equity debt of up to $100,000 ($50,000 for married individuals filing separately) is generally deductible regardless of how the loan proceeds are used. If you're subject to the alternative minimum tax (AMT), the AMT calculation doesn't allow a deduction for interest on debt that's not used to buy, build, or improve your Los Angeles County home.

Qualified mortgage insurance premium payments made prior to 2012 can be deducted in the same manner as qualified mortgage interest, provided the mortgage insurance contract is issued after 2006. Congress is debating this tax deductible interest subject, and have been for several years. Each year, the possibility of this valuable deduction evaporating becomes more and more possible.

Could the mortgage interest deduction ultimately be eliminated? That seems unlikely, but elimination or reduction of the deduction has remained part of the ongoing debate, and was included among the recommendations contained in the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform's December 2010 report.

Deduction for Property Taxes

If you itemize deductions, in most cases, you can deduct the real estate taxes you pay on your Los Angeles County home in the year you pay them to the taxing authority. If you pay your real estate taxes through an escrow account, you can only deduct the real estate taxes actually paid by your lender from the escrow account during the year. For purposes of calculating the AMT, however, no deduction for state and local taxes, including any real estate tax, is allowed.

Capital Gains on Your Los Angeles County Home

If you sell your Los Angeles County home at a gain, you may be able to exclude some or all of the gain from federal income tax. For the most part, capital gain (or loss) on the sale of your principal residence equals the sale price of the home less your adjusted basis in the property. Your adjusted basis is the cost of the property (i.e., what you paid for it), plus amounts paid for capital improvements, less any depreciation and casualty losses claimed for tax purposes.

If you meet all requirements, you can exclude from federal income tax up to $250,000 ($500,000 if you're married and file a joint federal income tax return) of any capital gain that results from the sale of your Los Angeles County home. This exclusion can be used only once every two years. To qualify for the exclusion, you must have owned and used the home as your principal residence for a total of two out of the five years before the sale. If you fail the two-out-of-five-year test, you might still be able to exclude part of your gain if your Los Angeles County home sale is due to a change in place of employment, health reasons, or certain other unforeseen circumstances.

Special rules apply in a number of situations, including one in which you maintained a home office for tax purposes or otherwise used your home for business purposes. Special rules may also apply if you are a member of the uniformed services. Check with a tax professional about current laws that may affect the tax advantages of owning a Los Angeles County home.

For more on current tax laws, visit the IRS website.

Los Angeles County home renovations, in general, now exceed the dollar value of expenditures on newly constructed single family homes.

This trend is not only in Los Angeles County , according to federal estimates, but it is having a profound effect on real estate markets all across the country.

Housing Scenarios

Maybe you can say you fit one of these scenarios.

• You've been reluctant to sell because you don't think you can get what your house is worth…

• Buying a home seems out of reach because it's so difficult to qualify for a mortgage…

• You've decided it may be smarter to improve the house you already own and just stay put for a while…

The National Association of Home Builders' remodeling market index recently hit its highest level in five years, which only underscores this home remodeling trend.

Many Los Angeles County home renovations companies are seeing a significant jump in interest in renovating, especially from owners who have been in their houses for years, have built up some savings and managed to get through the recession without falling behind on their mortgages.

Los Angeles County Home Renovations No Longer About McMansions

Los Angeles County home renovations are generally the projects where people are no longer thinking along the grand, McMansion show-off scale; they're smaller, more modest, less costly efforts than five to seven years ago, with more emphasis on finishing details and quality than square footage.

Many of the Los Angeles County home renovations being made are not ones where the owner worries about immediate paybacks from their improvements. Most owners understand that the boom-time expectations of 100 percent immediate returns on their investment are gone.

Most people are happy with modest returns, which is right in line with what's happening overall in the Los Angeles County real estate market: a slow, modest recovery, spurred by modest and realistic expectations about where we're headed and how fast we'll get there.

Buying a Los Angeles County home presents a major choice right off the bat. Buy a new home, or one that has been previously owned? You may want to consider the following factors when making a decision on this all-important question.

Planning and Design Flexibility

Buying a Los Angeles County home that hasn't been built yet provides a greater amount of flexibility and customization options. Buyers who purchase land and build a house from scratch have complete control over the planning, design and finishing of the home, which provides the greatest degree of flexibility and customization.

If you're buying a Los Angeles County home sold by a builder or developer, depending on the stage of development, you may be able to choose from a variety of floor plans, exterior finishes, flooring options, paint colors, bathroom fixtures, kitchen appliances, and lighting fixtures.

Buyers of previously owned homes don't have this flexibility, since someone else made all the decisions as to what that particular home would have when it was built.

Buying a Los Angeles County Home - Layout and Maintenance

Buyers frequently have a particular layout style in mind when looking for a home, whether it's a large, open floor plan, or a home with distinct and separate living spaces. Newer homes reflect current trends in layouts, including larger kitchen and dining areas, high ceilings, increased closet space and more bathrooms.

Older homes may suffer from functional obsolescence with outdated layout, design and style features. For example, many older homes lack the "flow" that modern homes have, making it difficult to get from one room to the next.

Many older homes may only have one bathroom, regardless of the number of bedrooms. However, the pro's of buying a pre-owned home is, the landscaping is mature, and you don't have to nurse and care for a new lawn, trees and shrubbery.

Those buying a new home often do so with the intention of avoiding time-consuming upkeep and costly repairs. New homes are usually free of the structural defects - such as leaky roofs and cracking foundations - common in older homes. But just because you're buying a new home, you still should have a home inspection done, just to make sure the builder didn't shortcut somewhere that you might not see without a professional who knows what to look for.

All homes require routine maintenance, but a new home should not require any major work for a number of years.

Older homes do require more time and attention, but many buyers feel the extra effort is worth it to be in a home with more charm than newer homes tend to offer.

Warranties When Buying a Los Angeles County Home

Builders usually provide warranties on brand new homes, covering any defects in construction. Warranties vary, but most last up to 10 years for certain items. Warranties like this provide a great deal of peace of mind for new home buyers.

Many previously owned homes are also able to get home warranties that will cover certain repairs during the warranty period. Buyers should know, whether new or previously owned, home warranties are limited. They do not cover every defect that might occur in the home. Be sure to read the fine print of your warranty.

A Los Angeles County home inspection is a very important part of the home buying process. When buying a home, there are many things that may need attention and require repair in order to insure that the house is habitable and safe for its occupants.

Reasons for a Los Angeles County Home Inspection

A home inspection should be performed prior to the purchase of the house for the benefit of the purchaser. If the home is not fit for living due to its safety issues, it is best to consider another house; unless a strong preference for that house still exists. This may require much renovation or even a rebuilding of the house.

A home inspection would give an indication of the extent of renovation required to the home the potential homeowner is considering before an actual purchase deal is concluded.

This would allow the purchaser to consider if the deal would be a good investment or unwise. Not only will you find out what is wrong with the house, you will also find out what is right.

The relatively small home inspection fee (compared to what you're paying for the house) is worth the time and effort as it can potentially save you thousands and thousands of dollars in the future. Purchasing a house is not an easy task. It should be a good investment which can benefit the owner for years to come.

It would be foolish to purchase a house in bad condition that requires heavy maintenance and repairs, besides threatening the safety and health of its occupants.

Process of a Los Angeles County Home Inspection

A home is a heavy investment; not everyone is familiar with the home inspection process. Only qualified, experienced, licensed and insured inspectors should handle this task. There are state licensed home inspectors who can inspect the house on your behalf and inform you as to the condition of the house before your purchase is completed. They are qualified and knowledgeable about the exact requirements of a Los Angeles County home inspection according to the state laws on home inspections.

Depending on the size of the house, and the condition of the house, the home inspection process would take only a few hours. The home inspector will go over the entire house and evaluate the condition of all the components of the house. He or she will point out the good and bad aspects of the house for the home buyer or owner so you'll know the condition and value of the home. Home inspections do not always cover every single item in the home, so be sure to consult with your home inspector to see what items he or she will not inspect.

After the home inspection is completed, your inspector will provide you with a full written report on the condition of the home. You may want to ask your home inspector if he or she minds if you attend the home inspection as it is being performed. This may help you more clearly understand the report when you get it.