Vandenberg AFB Homes Blog

Exceptional Rio Vista Lompoc Home For Sale! Large Corner Lot with views of the Lompoc Valley!

2011 Real Estate Market Update -- Vandenberg Village Homes Sales

Lompoc January 2011 Real Estate Market

It's the beginning of a new year, so many people are waiting anxiously to hear how many homes and condos were sold in Lompoc last year, what the average sale price was, and how it compared to 2009.

It's the beginning of a new year, so many people are waiting anxiously to hear how many homes and condos were sold in Vandenberg Village CA last year, what the average sale price was, and how it compared to 2009.

It is located at 200 S. H Street in Old Town Lompoc and housed in a building constructed with funds from the Andrew Carnegie endowment. The building itself is a thing of beauty, (for people that love houses – like me!) built in the Classic Revival style, it has a both a stately appearance and elegant charm.

This week, Capital Pacific Homes invited local agents and REALTORS to an open house for their new community, Providence Landing, located in Vandenberg Village. It was a fun opportunity to tour their new home models again. During the behind the private behind the scenes look, Capital Pacific revealed the new builder incentives they are offering buyers which include:

Looking at the luxury real estate market in Lompoc California, there are currently 29 homes priced above $400,000 with an average list price of about $592,000 and 145 days on market, and a median asking price of $499,000. Looking at the luxury foreclosure market, there was only one active luxury foreclosure listing and there were 2 available short sales in Lompoc.

Come see this Lompoc Delight! This exceptional home features a large family room addition off the kitchen for a great room effect and feel. Indoor laundry,large fireplace and slider access to the backyard. Formal living room off the entry and an informal dining area directly off the spacious kitchen. This home hasthree bedrooms and two updated bathrooms. Needs a little polish to bring it back to its prime - but the potential is definitely there. Modern touches andupdates throughout.

Lompoc California foreclosure activity: There are 213 active and pending homes and condos in Lompoc currently. Of those 213 properties, 49 homes and condos are foreclosures and 80 are short sales. So, 60% of Lompoc inventory is either a bank owned property or a distress sale. The median asking price for an actively listed home is $245,000 with 68 days on market; for condos the median is $135,000 with 49 days on market. Looking back six months, there have been 227 sales in Lompoc with an average listing price of $235,353, and an average selling price of $234,060, so sellers are getting about 99.4% of their asking prices in Lompoc indicating that there is not much bargaining room for buyers in this market.

There were 360 single family homes sold in the Lompoc and Vandenberg Village in 2009. This excludes manufactured home sales. This figure is down approximately 10% from the 401 homes/condos that were reported sold in 2008. Of the 360 homes/condos sold in 2009, 305 were single gamily detached homes, and 55 were attached/condo dwellings. 217 of the sales were foreclosures (REOs) and 50 were short sales.

Are you a military veteran looking to buy a short sale home with a VA loan in the Lompoc, CA area? Short sales can be excellent bargains, and they also offer some relief to the VA buyer who may be experiencing difficulty purchasing a bank owned or REO listing in the competitive Lompoc foreclosure market. The first thing to keep in mind when buying a short sale property is that there are a lot of contingencies involved, and using VA financing can add to those contingencies. So, some short sale agents will advise their client to take a conventional, cash, or FHA offer before a VA offer because they view those loans as easier.

What is an FHA loan? -- Essentially a FHA loan is a loan that is guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration. Lenders typically do not want to lend unless on a home unless a buyer has a 20% down payment. If there is less than a 20% down payment, mortgage insurance is required. And, in today's market unless you have a credit score at least 720 or above you won't be able to get mortgage insurance.

Tucked away in the hills of southwest Lompoc is the charming HOA community, Foothill Estates. The community is broken up into enclaves of duplex style units, with two units attached at one common wall. They have two car garages, and larger back yards than you get in other HOA communities. Amenities include a community pool, spa, and clubhouse. There are 2 and 3 bedroom models which range from about 1100 to 1300 square feet in size. The monthly HOA fees are $145 per month. But what you get for the money can't be beat. The views from this development are breathtaking and unmatched, and if you have a large dog you can't beat having a decent size yard versus the patio that most comparably priced condo units offer.

Everyone in the Santa Maria and Lompoc housing marlet is talking about short sales these days. They love them, they hate them, they love to hate them, they. . . well you get the picture. There are a lot of opinions on them. One thing is for sure, if you are a short sale seller you should work with an experienced agent and obtain legal and tax advice before entering into a short sale arrangement. Short sales have significant financial, legal, tax, and credit consequences.

Are you interested in buying a HUD home in Santa Maria, Orcutt, or Lompoc? You can search for HUD homes by clicking here. Also, you need a registered HUD agent to write an offer on a HUD home. I am a registered selling agent with HUD and I can take you for a tour of any local HUD home, explain the bidding process, and write an offer. These homes are generally not listed on the MLS, so the potential for a buyer bargain is tremendous as they receive less exposure.

There is intense competition for homes in the Santa Maria and Lompoc markets, especially for homes priced under $300,000. There simply aren't enough homes for interested buyers. It is not unusual when competing for a home to go up against 12 - 15 other buyers. And, some are pulling no punches when it comes to asking price.

Local teachers in Santa Maria & Lompoc may be eligible for the home ownership loan programs available through the California State Teachers Retirement Program ("Cal STRS'). Eligible participants can apply for several different loan options which can increase borrowing power and lower down payment requirements. Currently, Cal STRS offers a zero down option using a two loan 95% and 5% structure, as well as a low down option using a two loan 80% and 17% structure

The Department of Defense has announced the Homeowners Assistance Program ("HAP")for eligible military personnel. The central coast is home to Vandenberg Air Force Base and HAP may assist those who have suffered due to the severe local housing bust. Several types of assitance are offered:

Prices of many condos are finally well beneath $100,000 in Santa Maria and Lompoc, which make some condos a good option for investors even with the added expense of a monthly condo fee. There have been some 2 bedroom condos listed as low as $59,000. If you compare a home in the local area that you can purchase for $100,000, you would be looking at a much older home or a smaller cottage with limited rental value and appeal. Everything on the exterior of the home is typically covered by the condo association, cutting down on the responsibility for landlords.

For those looking to buy your first rental property, or pick up an extra one now that prices make sense again, be aware that lenders have rolled back the down payment requirements for investment property. Most lenders I polled recently say that a 20% down payment is required for an investment property. Many of us remember when lenders required a 30% down payment for investment property, and I wonder how long it will be until we are back to those days. Lenders slowly but surely increased the down payment requirement for investors during the housing boom and have slowly but surely increased that obstacle again.

This is my second day in a row showing Lompoc CA foreclosures under $200,000. There is not much on the market besides plenty of stale short sales that don't appear to be going anywhere anytime soon. Thus, most of the buyers who are looking in this price range have zeroed in on the bank owned inventory. So, when a new foreclosure comes on the market, you should be prepared to wait in line to view the property

The majority of foreclosure activity in Santa Barbara county centers in the Santa Maria and Lompoc markets. Most of the time, banks demand that their own contracts be used when selling foreclosures. In a typical real estate transaction, the parties use the forms produced by the California Association of Realtors. However, bank sellers have special issues they want to address in their contracts and they use their own team of lawyers to draft their contracts.

There were a total of 400 homes sold in the Lompoc and Vandenberg Village areas in 2008. 346 were detached dwellings, and 54 were attached residences. Of the 400 sold, 226 were REOs (bank owned) and 31 were short sales. So, a total of 257 out of 400, or 64% were foreclosure related sales. Thus, the Lompoc market is thoroughly dominated by foreclosure activity; it is the primary force moving the market.

Vandenberg Air Force Base provides a steady source of new arrivals to the Central Coast area. Due to the attractive climate and small town atmosphere many decide to never leave or to return to the area after they retire from military service. The biggest weather related complaints here tend to be fog and wind; complaints that generate laughter from those who have spent winters living with ice, shoveling snow, and hiding from freezing sleet.