Newsletter, 4/30/21

California Housing Market Report & Predictions 2021

4/25/21 ~ managecasa.com

The latest home sales and price data from CAR shows the California housing market is progressing but is constrained by a lack of supply.

For renters, the 13 months of the pandemic eased rent prices in California, however that trend appears to be abating (see below).

In March, both prices and sales took a major leap upward. Nearly two thirds of homes sold were above asking price.   The Median California statewide median home price rose 8.6% to $758,990 from February and was up 23.9% from March 2020. Year to date home sales across the state jumped 17.1% from March 2020.

Closed escrow sales of existing, single-family detached homes reached a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 446,410 last month. It’s a seller’s market and buyers are facing very competitive conditions. The price trends in California are supporting a much stronger rental property market and helping to grow demand for property managers and online property management software.

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Ralene Nelson, REALTOR®

JUST SOLD – 822 Linda Vista Wy. Rio Vista

Located in town, this charming bungalow-like home with a huge backyard for family activities, BBQ, soccer, etc., or build a pool. Three bedrooms, two baths with indoor laundry with a larger great room makes for a comfy home. Kitchen with newer quartz countertops, Freshly painted cabinets, black appliances, and island for that chef to cook up that feast for family & friends. New laminate flooring throughout the home, tile in baths. The detached 2-plus car garage has an attic for storage. Room for RV parking and front driveway provides parking for 3-4 cars. Refrigerator, washer/dryer included so just bring the furniture. Leased solar. MORE INFO

JUST LISTED – 439 Cedar Ridge Drive, Rio Vista,
2 bed/2 bath/1 pt.bath1,864 sq ft

Welcome to Triolgy at Rio Vista, the active adult community by Shea Homes. This Catamaran model is located on the 12th green & 13th tee box, no rear neighbors and NO BONDS. This home has 2 suites, so makes it convenient when in law is living with home owner or company. Open floor plan, full patio with cover and extra-large lot. New front landscaping, with contemporary exterior paint, gives this home great curb appeal. Two suites, & den, potential to be 3rd bedroom. Bedrooms & den are carpeted, with remaining floors are hardwood. Dining area can be utilized as music space for kitchen does have a nook overlooking the golf course. Indoor laundry with sink, garage with golf cart space. Lots to do in complex, tennis, bocce, pickle ball, exercise, 2 swimming pools & spas and lots more Don’t hesitate, this home will move quickly. READ MORE

Delta Diamond Farm Estate & Event Center,
15175 Hwy 160, Isleton, 25.1 ac

Asking $3,250,000- Delta Diamond Farms is a very unique property, built in the late 1880s, fully renovated by currents owners in 2005. 4 story, 3850 sqft Victorian home, the potential for 5 beds, 3.5 baths, located on 25.1 acres, currently operating as a wedding event compound & family/corp. events, & is permitted. Expansive lawn area & beautifully landscaped courtyard with 3 self-contained cottages. Barn (8000 sqft) & metal workshop constructed in late 1880’s, renovated with concrete perimeter foundation/slab floor, & full loft. 50’s Replica Gas Station remodeled as operational restrooms. New 2300 sqft 6 carriage house w/half bath. 4200 sqft metal building set up for catering, (refrigerators, freezer, ice machine, table/chair/linen storage w/industrial washer/dryer. 3200 sqft metal newer building, equipped with workshop, office, bedroom & full bathroom w/shower. Property has 2 wells (domestic/agricultural) w/riparian rights from Sacramento River. River access with 60 ft custom dock & waterfront observation deck. READ MORE

Real Estate News

Mortgage rate forecast for May 2021:
Recent lower rates won’t last

Springtime can be full of surprises, and this season delivered a plot twist — a drop in mortgage rates. After rising steadily the previous two months, rates dipped throughout April.

Plenty of people didn’t see that one coming. So the experts have taken a closer look at the financing climate ahead and determined whether earlier 2021 rate predictions need to be reassessed. Their consensus? Don’t expect rates to drop any further in the coming months.

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Current Mortgage Interest Rates

Mortgage applications increased last week, as reported by Mortgage Bankers Association. “Mortgage applications decreased last week, even as mortgage rates dropped for the third week in a row… Even with a few weeks of lower rates, most borrowers have likely already refinanced,” said Joel Kan, MBA Associate Vice President of Economic and Industry Forecasting.

The interest rates reported below are from a weekly survey of 100+ lenders by Freddie Mac PMMS. These average rates are intended to give you a snapshot of overall market trends and may not reflect specific rates available for you.

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21 Moving Tips for 2021

For many of us, the New Year represents a time for a new start. 2021, in particular, is especially welcome due to the overwhelming difficulty of 2020 for much of the world. Many of our CubeSmart customers have indicated that they are ready for a change in 2021 – be it a new job, new habit, or new place to live.

If you’re on the hunt for moving tips for a planned 2021 relocation, you’re not alone. According to some reports, more than half of respondents are already on the hunt for a new home or plan to be within the coming year.

We’ve conducted our own (extremely informal) polling among CubeSmart teammates and customers for the top 21 tips and tricks for moving in 2021, so keep reading to get the advice you need – straight from those of us who’ve ‘been there and done that.’

Top 21 Tips for Moving and Packing

1. Clean and dust your stuff before you move it. Take the time to clean your personal belongings before packing them away for moving. It’s hard to get off to a fresh start in your new accommodations with dirty or dusty belongings, and you won’t want to take the time to clean them when you’re unpacking.
2. Get quality moving materials. Make your life a loteasier by investing in quality moving materials. Every CubeSmartlocation sells boxes, tape, and other moving supplies. There are all sorts of products out there that might be useful, depending on what exactly you’re moving. My favorite general material is packing paper. Think of a giant stack of newspapers without the ink. It is super handy, cheap, and easy to use to pack fragile items.
3. Have the right moving tools. In their blog post Moving Safety Tips for a Drama-Free Move,The Storage Queens recommends using a dolly, lifting straps, furniture sliders, and gloves to minimize wear and tear on your body during your move. These might seem like an unnecessary expense, but protecting your physical health during something as stressful as a move is a must. The last thing you want to be dealing with is a sore back or torn-up hands.
4. Use your things . . . to pack your things. Be creative when you’re packing and use what you’ve got on hand. Wrap a mirror or framed picture in a beach towel. Stuff (clean) socks into dishware. Pack empty suitcases with your clothes. You may be surprised at how easy it is to pack efficiently and effectively with items you’ve already got.
5. Rent a self-storage unit.One of the best moving tips is to rent a self-storage unit to help you strategically plan and execute your relocation. Many CubeSmart customers lease a unit to stash personal items when staging a house for sale or finding a sublessor on a rental apartment. Another time storage comes in handy is when people move in together and find they have duplicates of items. Nobody needs two toasters in the kitchen, but it’s good to have a spare. Enter, storage.
6. Cull everything. Similar to the point above, now is the time to cull your living quarters of any extraneous items you can. Take a good hard look at the belongings you’ve accumulated and divide them into five piles: Store, Trash, Donate, Sell, and Bring. You may be surprised at what you realize you can do without for the time being – or forever – or what you have that someone else might need or want.
7. When I say ‘cull everything,’ I am definitely including the plunger. Here’s the best moving tip of the entire article: never pack the plunger. Just don’t. Do yourself a favor and bid it a fond farewell as you toss it into the trash bin at your old abode. New place, new plunger.
8. Donate, donate, donate. Moving is a fantastic time to take stock of what you have versus what you actually use. It’s also a fantastic time to donate anything extra. There is even an organization called Move for Hungerthat will take your unopened, non-perishable food items when you move to help feed local families in need. You can also donate them to your local food bank or food closet. Many thrift stores will also let you schedule a time for donation pickup, saving you the trip and hassle of dropping your items off yourself.
9. Don’t move if you’re sick.Of course, this is of critical importance during COVID-19. But even when we’ve moved on from the COVID-19 virus in particular, it will still be important to make sure you’re at your healthy best when you’re moving. You do not want to deal with the stress and fatigue of a move at a time when your body is trying to heal. It might seem like you can’t, but trust me: you can always reschedule.
10. Schedule your move mid-month and/or mid-week. Speaking of scheduling, you can often get better rates (or at least better availability) if you schedule your move mid-month, mid-week, or both! If you’ve absolutely got to move at the end of the month, start locking down your reservations today. This leads us to the next tip for moving and packing…
11. Start today. One of the best packing tips for moving I ever got was to ‘start today.’ It’s probably safe to say that if you’re reading articles like this, it means the time to move is fast approaching. Take my advice and start digging into it today. Whether that means calling to get moving quotes or reserving a self-storage unit online or dusting your knick-knacks, it’s a start. Make it happen today.
12. Pack a box of essentials. One of the other moving tips the Storage Queens mention is to pack a box or suitcase of essentials. Think what you need for the first night and morning in your new home: sheets, prescriptions, change of clothing, hand soap, pet food, toilet paper, coffee maker, corkscrew – you get the picture. This is especially important if you’ve hired a moving company and won’t have access to all of your stuff immediately.
13. Make a tool tote. Similar to your box of essentials, you’re gonna want a “tool tote.” Think of a bag with items like tape, screwdrivers (flat-head and Phillips-head), measuring tape, rubber bands, and boxcutters. Don’t forget the Allen wrench or hex key for all that IKEA furniture. Take it from me: there’s nothing more frustrating than not being able to find the tool you need in the middle of a move.
14. Snap a picture of the back of your electronics. Before you unplug a single cord, take pictures of the back of your electronic devices so you can seamlessly recreate the magic at your new place. A picture is worth a thousand words, as they say – so it must definitely be worth a few misplaced electronics set-up guides.
15. Make a list of everyone and every business you need to notify of your new address. A good place to start is by making a list of the bills you pay each month: Internet, cable, electricity, garbage – you get the drift. They all need to be notified that you’re moving, and when you’ll no longer need their service. Others to inform as soon as possible include banks (don’t forget to order new checks!), credit card companies, and employers.
16. If you can, hire the pros. Here’s a hot moving tip: there’s really nothing like outsourcing it. Companies will do everything for you from delivering moving supplies to packing up every item in your home (including the contents of waste-paper baskets, ask me how I know) to simply showing up and moving boxes you’ve already packed. In general, they are extremely efficient and will make your life – and move – 1000 times easier. Of course, there are always horror stories so be sure to . . .
17. Ask your network for moving company recommendations. Oftentimes, good moving companies can be found by word-of-mouth. Start asking friends, neighbors and colleagues about their experiences with moving companies, and also be sure to check online reviews. Get quotes from at least three moving companies before deciding who to use.
18. Get cash for tips. Movers accept (and expect) cash tips. There are all sorts of ways to calculate what you should give, but basically budget for between $20 – $60 per person, per day. And make sure you’ve got the cash in your wallet on ‘go day’ so as not to have to drop everything and run to find an ATM while your movers stand around waiting.
19. Make sure the moving truck has a parking spot. Depending on where you’re moving, this may or may not be a big deal. To a house with a driveway? Not a big deal. To an apartment in midtown Manhattan? A huge deal. The pros generally know how to negotiate parking, but if you’re doing it on your own, be sure to scope out the situation ahead of time and maybe even invest in a few orange cones to make your life easier. If is always a good idea to let neighbors know what you’re up to; they might even have some moving tips to help you navigate the parking on the big day. 
    
20. Make sure your pets are out of the picture at the old place – and the new. One of the best tips for moving is to make sure your pets are being taken care of somewhere other than the place being moved out of orthe place being moved into. During the commotion of a move, there are simply too many chances for a scared or stressed animal to escape through an open door. Don’t risk it. Plan for them to be boarded with a friend or a professional until you’ve settled into your new home and can welcome them with your full attention.
21. Bring a door stopper. Speaking of open doors, be sure to have a door stopper on hand at both your old place and new place. Another of the best moving tips is to take a rubber band from your trusty tool tote, and string it across one doorknob and then cross it over the door latch and secure it on the second doorknob. Voila! No locked doors.

Source: https://www.cubesmart.com/blog/about/moving/21-moving-tips-for-2021