Home sales increased 2.5 percent in April in California compared with the same period a year ago, while the median price of an existing home fell 32 percent, the California Association of Realtors® (C.A.R.) reported today.

“Home sales registered a 2.5 percent year-to-year gain compared with April 2007, ending a 30-month string of year-to-year percentage decreases that began in October 2005,” said C.A.R. President William E. Brown. “This is not to say that the credit crunch that has contributed to the sales decline has disappeared. Both tighter underwriting standards and the ongoing effects of the credit/liquidity crunch continue to constrain sales.”

Closed escrow sales of existing, single-family detached homes in California totaled 366,720 in April at a seasonally adjusted annualized rate, according to information collected by C.A.R. from more than 90 local Realtor® associations statewide. Statewide home resale activity increased 2.5 percent from the revised 357,640 sales pace recorded in April 2007.

The statewide sales figure represents what the total number of homes sold during 2008 would be if sales maintained the April pace throughout the year. It is adjusted to account for seasonal factors that typically influence home sales.

The median price of an existing, single-family detached home in California during April 2008 was $403,870, a 32 percent decrease from the revised $594,110 median for April 2007, C.A.R. reported. The April 2008 median price fell 2.6 percent compared with March’s revised $414,640 median price.

“Significant price declines are spurring home sales to bargain hunters and first-time buyers at the middle- and low-end of the market, especially in areas with a concentration of distressed properties,” said C.A.R. Vice President and Chief Economist Leslie Appleton-Young.

C.A.R.’s Unsold Inventory Index for existing, single-family detached homes in April 2008 was 9.2 months, compared with 11.3 months for the same period a year ago. The index indicates the number of months needed to deplete the supply of homes on the market at the current sales rate.

Thirty-year fixed-mortgage interest rates averaged 5.92 percent during April 2008, compared with 6.18 percent in April 2007, according to Freddie Mac. Adjustable-mortgage interest rates averaged 5.19 percent in April 2008, compared with 5.45 percent in April 2007.

The median number of days it took to sell a single-family home was 52.1 days in April 2008, compared with 53.1 for the same period a year ago.

What does this mean to us here in Dana Point? We have low interest rates and a good amount of inventory to be able to choose the right home. Move up buyers have a wonderful opportunity to move up to a new home with low interest rates and because of lower prices they will have lower taxes.

Call us for more information at 949 415 011