Bay Area median prices rose in April, San Mateo sales still down
It seems that the Bay Area median price for homes rose month to month for the first time in almost two years. San Mateo’s sales is still down 22.5% since last year. If you read the report, you will notice this little snippet.
Foreclosure resales – homes sold in April that had been foreclosed on in the prior 12 months – accounted for 47.4 percent of Bay Area resales. That was down from 50.2 percent in March and 52.0 percent in February. Last month’s figure was the lowest since foreclosure resales were 46.8 percent of existing home sales last November.
A lower concentration of discounted foreclosure resales in the statistics is one reason the median sale price has recently begun to more or less flatten, or at least erode more slowly, in many markets.
This is largely due to the moratorium that has been lifted which reduced foreclosure inventory. As the foreclosures come back I think we will see median prices slip again in May. San Mateo’s median still stands at $520,000, which is not exactly affordable for the median income family in San Mateo.
Menlo Park plans to artificially prop up home prices
Apparently, city officials in Menlo Park are planning to spend $1 million to prop up prices in East Menlo Park. The basic deal is that they will find delinquent homeowners and help them negotiate a refinance with a local bank. The city will pitch in 30% of the loan amount, and the homeowner has to pay the mortgage on the remaining 70%. When the home sells the city will split the appreciation with the homeowner 50/50. Supposedly East Palo Alto is considering something similar.
I personally go to East Menlo Park a lot for this restaurant called Back A Yard Grill . They really have the best jerked chicken, but that neighborhood is not somewhere you want to be after dark. The houses there are definitely not worth the 600k to 700k they sold for in the peak, and using public funds to keep prices that high seems pretty ridiculous. What do you think?
139 14TH Ave San Mateo, CA 94402
139 14TH Ave San Mateo, CA 94402
Price: $678,000
| Beds: | 1 |
| Baths: | 1 |
| Sq. Ft.: | 660 |
| $/Sq. Ft.: | $1,027 |
| Lot Size: | 5,000 Sq. Ft. |
| Property Type: | Detached Single Family |
| Style: | Cottage/ |
| Stories: | 1 |
| Year Built: | 1908 |
Last sale:
| May 22, 2007 | Sold | $696,000 |
Just when I thought the last little cottage was expensive, I stumbled upon this little charmer. It is in a decent neighborhood of San Mateo, but the owner is asking for over $1000 per square foot for this little hundred year old cottage. There is an open house this Sunday, and I really wonder if there are gold toilets or flooring in this house to warrant this price?
131 BELMONT Ave Redwood City, CA 94061 – Also Available for rent for $950 a month
131 BELMONT Ave Redwood City, CA 94061
Price: $499,000
| Beds: | 1 |
| Baths: | 1 |
| Sq. Ft.: | 610 |
| $/Sq. Ft.: | $818 |
| Lot Size: | 3,876 Sq. Ft. |
| Property Type: | Detached Single Family |
| Stories: | 1 |
| Year Built: | 1925 |
| Community: | Central Park |
Last sale: May 10, 2005 Sold $630,000
This tiny little cottage is still asking for half a million, which makes it over $800 per square foot. I wonder if the owner noticed that it’s NOT in Atherton. The funnier part about this is that it is available for rent for $950 a month. Let’s do some math here. Suppose you put 20% down and finance $400,000 at 5% over 30 years, you’d have to pay about $2150 for mortgage plus another $400 a month for tax. So, why would anyone buy this if they wanted to live here? It might help the seller to remove the fact that it’s for rent because it just emphasizes how ridiculous of a decision it is to buy this home. Additionally, the listing is probably keeping renters away because potential renters would fear that they can be kicked out once the home sells to some sucker.
1825 MIDDLEFIELD Rd Redwood City, CA 94063
1825 MIDDLEFIELD Rd Redwood City, CA 94063
Price: $259,900
| Beds: | 3 |
| Baths: | 2 |
| Sq. Ft.: | 1,450 |
| $/Sq. Ft.: | $179 |
| Lot Size: | 3,686 Sq. Ft. |
| Property Type: | Detached Single Family |
| Style: | Ranch |
| Stories: | 1 |
| Year Built: | 1920 |
Last sale:
Sep 11, 2006 $630,000
4/18/2000 $297,500
Yup, this little rancher has rolled back to below its 2000 sale price. What a difference 9 years make. This is currently owned by U.S. Bank and it is definitely the cheapest single family home in Redwood City now based on price per square foot. It looks like it needs some fixing, and it is not in the best neighborhood, but at least it is priced to be affordable to median income families now.
154 ALTA VISTA Way Daly City, CA 94014 – Delusional Sellers
154 ALTA VISTA Way Daly City, CA 94014
Price: $850,000
| Beds: | 4 |
| Baths: | 3 |
| Sq. Ft.: | 1,350 |
| $/Sq. Ft.: | $630 |
| Lot Size: | 8,877 Sq. Ft. |
| Property Type: | Detached Single Family |
| Style: | Traditional |
| Stories: | 2 |
| View: | Bay, Neighborhood, Ocean, City Lights |
| Year Built: | 1964 |
Last sale:
| Jun 24, 2003 | Sold | $600,000 |
So this home isn’t exactly listing for under its last sale price, but its listing history is quite funny. According to Redfin it has been listed at least 8 times since May 24th 2006. That’s right everyone, these sellers have been trying to sell for almost three years. They must have priced it at over a million during 2006 and 2007 because it should have sold fairly easily then. Now they are still going for $850,000, which is 50% above all the comparables. All I can say is good luck.
Offers
Subscribe to San Mateo Home Sellers in Trouble
