152 Amesport Landing

Bright downstairs unit in Amesport Landing; walking distance to town restaurants, biking distance to beach. 40-45 minutes to IL-1(Apple). High ceilings, clerestory windows in l.r. & master. All appliances, incl. washer/dryer. Approx. 950 sq. ft. Light bamboo flooring l.r. & kitchen; carpet bedrooms. $499,000. Come see it! Open house Sunday 10/25 1-4 p.m. or call for realtor to show: Lee Engdahl, 650 403-6253. Web: http://www.4salebylee.com/apl.htm Or, email me for more info. LeeE@coastside.net

A Bit of Perspective

A Bit of Perspective
30 % of the homes in America are owned free and clear
Of the 70% with mortgages that remain, 97.2 % are not in foreclosure.
Of the 70% with mortgages that remain, 93.6 % are current.

So how can the news make things sound so bad? Well many people need to move due to growing families, job transfers, divorce, and these people are in a market with people who were frankly, (largely) irresponsible. These people need and are receiving a financial lesson. Those people have brought the market down for everyone who must sell. Will we recover? Certainly.
We may have one more set of foreclosures and short sales to tie up the coming market. So here it is:
Criswell predicts, nema nema, that we will see rising prices again within 18 months.

Look at these stats, (I think they suggest this is maybe the 6th worst recession since 1900):

Year Range Key Stat Dow Jones: (Peak to Trough) GDP

1929-39 25% Unemployment, D89% Down 11% ($103B)
1973-75 Inflation 21%, D45% Up 18% ($1.4 Trillion)
1981-82 Prime Rate 18.87%, D24% Up 4% ($3.1 Trillion)
1990-91 653 Failed Banks and S & Ls, D21% Up 3% ($5.8 Trillion)
2001-02 NASDAQ D78%, D38% Up 8% ($10.1 Trillion)
2008 $6.2 Trillion market losses, D42% Up 1% ($11.6 Trillion)

Is business booming like 05 and 06? Absolutely not and I hope we never see days like that again where people were taking equity loans at a record pace to spend money they didn’t have, on things they didn’t need to impress people they didn’t know. So yeah, it’s time to freak out. It’s time to get the messages from the freaked out media, the politicians and the pundits out of your head and life. As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. I choose the good, I see the best and I believe my best days and yours are still to come.

The Grass Can Be Greener

"So who likes what city?

Men like Vegas more than women.
Boston: you better have coin as mostly the affluent would rather live in Bean Town.
New York/ LA: Youth is it. 57% of urban dwellers younger than 30 say the city is where they want to live.
Denver/San Diego/Seattle: Youth! Mickie D's or Starbucks: Gotta have the Golden Arches nearby.
Denver/Phoenix/Orlando/San Antonio: Republicans
San Francisco: Half of those who identified themselves as liberal would rather live here."
So i am reading this and i see half of those liberals like San Francisco, does that mean the the other half are conservatives <^_^>

All of the above seem to be urban locals, but what about rural? ...And is the Half Moon Bay coastside truly rural? Besides tourism it does have a large agricultural base, flowers, brussel sprouts and artichokes. I believe HMB grows more roses then any place in the world except Holland.
"The perfect community type?: 30% say they would most like to live in a small town, 25% in a suburb, 23% in a city and 21% in a rural area."

So based on this assertion, HMB is a great place to live.

I know this is true because when someone from areas like Palo Alto are layed off, they tend to leave the area, where as when someone who lives on the coastside is layed off, they work as hard as they can to get another job so they can stay.
I haven't checked out the research done above, but I know that the people who live in HMB, love living in HMB.

Senior Housing Rehab Day In HMB

The Senior Center in Half Moon Bay annually sponsors a home repair day.
Men and women from the coastside and Elsewhere come together and do much needed repairs for seniors who cannot any more. These repairs include gardening, light plumbing, deck repair, stairway or ramp replacement, painting, and a host of other small tasks. Much of the work is done in the Half Moon Bay Senior Park, Canada Cove. Some of the work is done to homes in La Honda, Pescadero, EL Granada, Montara and Moss Beach. Here is what the senior center posts"

"What repairs will be done?
Projects dealing with safety, health and accessibility issues are given priority. In the past we have installed wheelchair ramps, replaced unsafe stairs and porches, fixed plumbing problems, repaired furnaces, painted houses inside and out and cleaned yards.
Who is eligible?
Homeowners must be at least 60 years of age or disabled and unable to do the repairs themselves. Recipients must meet income eligibility requirements.
How do I apply for help?
Call Senior Coastsiders at 726-9056 for an application. Return the application by March 31 with a $10 processing fee.
How do I volunteer?
Anyone fourteen and older can be a volunteer! Volunteers do not need to be skilled at home repairs, but any skills will be utilized. If you would like to volunteer, please call us at 726-9056 or print the Application at the top of this page and send it to us.
Who sponsors the program?
The Home Rehabilitation Program is sponsored by private donations, corporations, local businesses, San Mateo County Aging and Adult Services, and San Mateo County Department of Housing."
This work not only helps those who need a hand, but also brings the coastal citizens a bit closer together.

Wouldn't you like to join in. It is a fun day, and you are welcome to join in.

Half Moon Bay Schools

Education on the Coastside has always been a mixed bag. The Coastside has tried some innovative programs such as the Spanish immersion program, at Hatch Elementary, which may have been a good concept, but had problems and resistors. The local elementary schools have won awards, including Hatch, El Granada and Farallone View in Montara over the years. The high school has consistently done well in math and science, but has had fallen behind at times in the humanities.

When Apples for students was available, Half Moon Bay was second to none in parent and student participation in acquiring these computers for the schools. Parent participation in the local schools has long been very good. The high school has not been without its controversy’s, like any high school, but overall I would think it would feel good to have attended it.

Half Moon Bay High School is a relatively small school, thus they not always able to offer all the AP courses or students may have a schedule conflict and need other opportunities to take AP courses. Over the past five years, they have established a relationship with the University of California and their teachers to allow students the opportunity to take selected AP courses online; i.e. AP Physics, AP Chemistry, AP Calculus BC, and AP Economics. For a pdf of the HMBHS Advanced Placement Program visit

http://www.cabrillo.k12.ca.us/hmbhs/print_file/HMBHS_AP.pdf

7 Things Home Buyers Should Think About

SEVEN THINGS YOUR CLIENTS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE CURRENT HOUSING MARKET

Here are seven simple reasons why this is the best time to buy a new home in several decades.

Fact #1:
Some six million Americans are expected to buy a home this year. Six million people in the game make up a pretty big game. That’s a level of sales equal to the one we experienced in 1998—by all accounts, a pretty good year.

Fact #2:
There is still over $23 trillion of value in U.S. housing stock. Home ownership continues to be the basis of our wealth in this country.

Fact #3: The housing market cannot help but grow. Our country’s tremendous wealth, liquidity, and entrepreneurship will continue to drive our economy. 70-100 million people will be added to our market in the next 40 years.

Fact #4: Real estate is cyclical. The biggest fear in good times is that the fair weather won’t last forever—because it doesn’t. But the reality of a cyclical real estate market also provides its brightest hope in bad times—foul weather won’t last forever either. What’s happening today is a market correction, severe in some places, but it’s not the end of the world. As shown by Fact #1, people are still buying and selling homes. The markets will stabilize.

Fact #5: 2008 is the best year to buy a home in 35 years. 1973 was the last time mortgage rates were this low in a buyer’s market. We had rates this low in 2001 and 2002, but those were strong seller’s markets with little inventory. The last two big buyer’s markets, in the early ‘80s and early ‘90s had much higher rates. Low rates and good inventory make 2008 the best year to buy in decades!

Fact #6: First-time buyers have a real advantage in today’s market. First-time buyers can buy at a reduced price without having to sell at one too. Higher limits on lower cost conforming loans also help first-time buyers purchase more home for their money. Today’s ‘starter’ homes can be pretty impressive.

Fact #7: First-time buyers lose money while they wait on the sidelines. First, renters typically pay more state and federal income taxes than homeowners with a mortgage deduction. Renters are also losing the wealth they could be accumulating as they pay down their mortgage and as their home increases in value over time (as it surely will). Lastly, renters who wait to buy will lose money if interest rates increase by the time they finally act. Higher payments from higher interest rates represent money buyers could have kept if they had bought earlier. Conversely, if they were willing to spend that amount of money earlier, they could have bought more home.

How foggy is it on the Coastside

I am often asked, how foggy is it on the Coastside? And that is not a short answer. The short answer is that on any given day anything can happen. …But you know, I am from Newport Beach, and to me the fog hits the ground. On the San Mateo Coast we have a lot of overcast days, particularly in the summer (June thru August). Brrrr, the weather is in the 70’s this time of year. We only have four or five days a year of fog, on the ground. In fact, in the winter, we tend to be sunnier then San Mateo. Shhhh this is a well hidden fact. Coastsiders don’t want you to know how nice the rest of the year is.

We have weather all year around only 2 or 3 degrees different then San Mateo. What we also have is sun in the summer, but seldom more then 2 or three days in a row. What happens is that when the rest of the county “over the hill” gets hot, it pulls an inversion layer over us. What also happens is that, over-the-hillers decide to come to the beach to get away from the heat. Thus since they are late arriving on the coast, they always come after our sun has gone. This is why we have a reputation for overcast. Come over when it’s cool and sunny, and you will enjoy a cool and sunny Coastside. …but shhhh don’t tell anyone.