Although FHA loans aren’t that common in Carmel and Pebble Beach, they are playing a role in other lower priced areas such as Seaside, Marina, and Salinas. Having said that, two of my recent transactions in Carmel-by-the-Sea have included FHA loans because the “cost of money” under the FHA loan was such that the buyer’s opted for the loan even though they could have paid cash.

While the exact changes that will be coming are still being debated, it is likely that the minimum down payment for FHA loans will increase, the minimum FICO scores for new borrowers will go up, and probably the maximum seller concessions will be reduced from 6 percent to 3 percent.

The minimum FICO score for FHA backed loans was raised from 500 to 580 earlier this year although most lenders actually set their minimums at higher levels usually around 620.

FHA’s move to tighten requirements is partly in response to the continued tightening of guidelines by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Fannie Maie will implement a minimum 620 FICO score along with other tightening requirements next week.

Last week Forbes published their “by zip code” analysis of the most expensive zip codes. As expected, the median price of homes for sale in most zip codes fell over the last year.

A year ago California accounted for 96% of the top zip codes, this year…less than 50%. Of the California zip codes still on the 500 most expensive zip codes, 83% had median prices that stayed the same or declined.

Pebble Beach

Pebble Beach experienced an 8% decline in median price from the previous year with a ranking of 42 on the most expensive zip codes list. While this number gives a general idea of the health of the Pebble Beach market digging a bit deeper offers more insights.

First, Pebble Beach is a relatively small market, with properties of drastically different size, location (views and proximity to golf courses etc,) and list prices, that the addition or removal of a couple of homes can skew statistics dramatically. Nevertheless, one can see the trends. The graph below compares the last 12 months with the previous 12 months.

Even more dramatic than the recent trends in pricing is the continuing increase in average days on the market for Pebble Beach homes.

If you break down the average days on market, not surprisingly, you see that the higher end homes are taking the longest to sell. The average days on market for the most expensive quartile (the top 25% of homes by price) is just under 300 days. The lowest quartile of Pebble Beach homes (the least expensive) is averaging 220 days on the market.

Percent with a Price Decrease

Pebble Beach, and markets like it, tend to have more sellers that are able to withdraw from the market and “wait for a better day” or hold more firmly to a list price than other markets where seller’s are running out of resources to hold on.  The graph below shows the percentage of homes on the market, at each point in time, that have experienced a price reduction from their initial list price. It is interesting to note that the lowest percentage of price reductions is among the highest priced homes.

Forbes observed in the article,

“Potential buyers increasingly fall into one of two categories: Those who have seen their net worths damaged by the financial crisis and those who realize they could probably get a better deal in a year’s time.”

I concur with their opinion. I also believe, as do they, that the lack of liquidity in the credit market for the high value mortgages that are often needed to buy these homes has had a huge impact. I have clients that are supremely qualified that have gone through loan processes that required hours of document collection and multiple appriasals and reviews. It is clear that lenders would much prefer to make 5 smaller loans than 1 large one.

We need credit to flow again to bridge the gap between ready and willing buyers and sellers.

Years ago, when I first became a Realtor, I considered all of the real estate brands in Carmel and Pebble Beach. I ultimately joined The Mitchell Group, a locally owned brokerage that defined the high end market in terms of the properties they represented and the level of service they provided to their clients.

The Mitchell Group was purchased by Sotheby’s International, a Realogy and NRT brand. NRT is the nation’s largest residential real estate brokerage firm. Realogy (the parent of NRT) owns Coldwell Banker, Century 21, Better Homes and Gardens, ERA, and Sotheby’s as well as a few others.

I was very successful at Sotheby’s, ultimately becoming one of the top 5 Sotheby’s agents on the Monterey Peninsula and in the top 2% of all NRT agents, everywhere. I enjoyed working with my colleagues at Sotheby’s, most of whom like me were former Mitchell Group agents. There are certain upsides to being part of a large organization, but I believe real estate is ultimately a service provided person to person, and that highly personalized service is the key to my success.

When the opportunity came up to join, and help build, an organization that shares my philosophy I took it. I have joined Carmel Realty Company.

Carmel Realty has been selling real estate in Carmel, Pebble Beach and on the Monterey Peninsula since 1913. When the Mitchell family sold the Mitchell Group to Sotheby’s, the family retained ownership of Carmel Realty and focused the Carmel Realty brand on property management. Carmel Realty manages the highest end vacation rental homes on the Peninsula, including more estate homes in Pebble Beach and Scenic Avenue homes in Carmel than any other agency. Carmel Realty places visitors from all over the world in our area’s most prestigious properties.

The owners of Carmel Realty and a group of like minded highly successful agents, including myself, believe our clients deserve highly personalized service from a company that is collaborative. A company that utilizes the best technology, understands the importance of effective marketing in print and on-line, and is able to move quickly and respond to the new market realities.

We are a group of successful and committed agents with a shared vision of quality service that, honestly, our clients deserve and should expect.

Building on that shared vision, Carmel Realty is again a full service Real Estate Brokerage.

If you would like to learn a bit more about Carmel Realty and how we represent our clients, give me a call on my cell phone at 831-601-4740 or send an email to malone@malonehodges.com

While the Santa Lucia Preserve, known locally as The Preserve, is a place apart from the rest of the
world, it has not escaped the recent downturn in the economy. Unlike many developments across the
country, and the world, The Preserve was well beyond its infancy when global financial uncertainty would have affected its operations and growth. There is over $200,000,000 worth of infrastructure paid for and in place within the 20,000 acres of The Preserve including a nationally ranked golf course, equestrian facilities, trails, and club buildings. The 73 completed homes have a conservative value of $400,000,000 with 20 additional homes under construction and 17 properties moving through the design review process.

Looking Forward

Since January of this year one property in the Preserve has entered escrow, lot 175 (11 Vasquez Trail).

In the same period last year, five parcels and one home sold in the Preserve. My colleagues and I  continue to field inquires from new clients about the Preserve as well as questions from our clients that have been considering the Preserve for some time. We believe that, as with other high end golf and amenities properties, buyers recognize there are value priced properties but are holding off in hopes of selecting the perfect property for their needs, at the near perfect price. In all of these communities, the purchase decision is elective. None of us are lucky enough to have an employer who transfers you to a place as beautiful as the Preserve.

My grandfather was a thoroughbred race horse trainer and obsessive trader. There were times he would head off to the track in a given truck and return later that night having traded it for an older model truck…and a colt. (As in horse, not beer or gun.)

Trading is back in style in the current real estate market. A colleague of mine recently completed a trade of a large lot for a house. Another client considered a trade for a home in Pebble Beach. I have clients who own two homes in Carmel and we have begun a search for a home in Carmel Valley or along the highway 68 corridor. Our intention is to approach selected sellers and offer the possibility of a trade.

While a trade transaction can be complex, it can often be rewarding for both parties. For example, someone downsizing a home might find someone interested in moving into a larger home. Or, as is the case with my clients, two households who are combining into one.

Often one of the parties will take the property they have received in trade, discount it, and offer it for sale. They may opt to do this if the property they are taking in trade is in higher demand, a better location, or has other qualities that will make it easier to sell then the original property they were offering.

Rarely are trades “apples for apples” and often one party or the other will have to bring cash into the transaction. I am sometimes asked if it is possible to insert a loan into a trade deal. The answer is yes, but it is important to work with a mortgage broker that can help explain the deal to the lender.

In this market don’t discount creative thinking. Seller financing, long escrows, and trades are all possible ways to move a property you need to sell or move into the property you would love to own.

By the way, if you happen to own a home in Carmel Valley, Pasadera or Monterra and have dreamed of owning a home in Carmel…..give me a call.

As most of my clients know I drive a Toyota Prius. I enjoy new technology and over the last couple of years have especially enjoyed the gas mileage. As a Carmel and Pebble Beach Realtor and with the number of miles I put on the car, a Prius is a nearly perfect vehicle for showing my clients homes and land for sale on the Monterey Peninsula.

Of course, there are limitations. I also represent properties in Carmel Valley and have several clients that are interested in “horse properties.”

I recently spent six hours with a client and his son touring Carmel Valley and introducing them to properties with horse facilities or vacant land upon which they could build a home, barn, and arena. They are from the Galveston area of Texas and it was important that they left after the six hours with a good feel of the various areas of the Valley and an understanding of relative value depending on property location, size, condition, view, and slope. My goal wasn’t to find them a property but to send them home with enough knowledge so that we can discuss properties over the next six months with a shared vocabulary.

Too often I met people who bought a home in a given area after only a couple of weekends of visiting open houses and now wish they had opted for a home in another Peninsula area. The difference between Carmel, the Carmel Highlands, The Santa Lucia Preserve, Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach is dramatic but not immediately obvious without reflection and research.

All are wonderful places to live but are dramatically different from each other in terms of weather, demographics, lot size, zoning, distance from grocery stores and restaurants and school systems.

Take the time to explore each before narrowing your search.

Fair warning: This post may not be of interest unless you have kids at River Elementary School or are thinking of buying or renting a home in Carmel to send your kids to our exceptional public school system.

Last night the Carmel School District held a board meeting at the Carmel River School with  Jay Marden, the principal, presenting performance numbers and goals for the school. There were several excellent presentations.

The board also heard from the district’s administration on their strategy for the unexpected increase in the number of students registered at River school.

As I have said in earlier posts, the school system here is incredible and to some extent a victim of its own success. Along with the beach, the beauty, and quality of life–the schools are big part of why families buy or rent homes in Carmel.

The Issue

The number of students enrolled at River Elementary is approaching a critical number. I covered the issue and options presented at the board meeting in an earlier post, Carmel River School Boundary Issues.

The Several Steps in the Short Term Solution

The administration recommended a series of steps, some already underway, to address the problem in the near term.

• Residence Survey

Conduct a survey to confirm that the students that are enrolled, should be enrolled. This is already underway. As of last night, 92% of River School families have provided the administration with the documents required to prove residency.

As a result, three families have come forward and confirmed that they have moved out of the district and will not be returning in September.

• Establish a Tip line for anonymous reporting of possible residency violations

Four tips have been received and are being investigated.

• Quantify the number of Inter (from other districts) and Intra (from other elementary schools within the district) transfers

There are 17 students at the school from outside the district. There are 6 students from Tularcitos elementary school, some at the request of parents, others at the request of the district.

The highest concentration of these is 6 at one grade level.

• Acknowledge that if the critical number is reached in a given class, some of these non-resident students may loose their place

The administration has structured a prioritization list for the transfer students to determine in what order they would loose their “seat.” It is important to note, and there was some confusion at the meeting, under this solution every child living within the River School footprint maintains their right to attend River School ahead of all of the transfer students. These transfer students are only entitled to attend the school if the number of students in their grade is under the “caps.”

• Establish a strategy for dealing with increased class size.

As class size increases in each grade, the administration proposes to add resources to the class.

For example, in first through third grades for classes with up to 22 students, the lead teacher is supported with 90 minutes of an instructional assistants time in the classroom.  For classes with 23-25 students that time allocation increases to 120 minutes. In the event there are 26 or more students in a class, the administration either creates a combination class (a smaller class of approximately 18 students made up of kids from two grades) or frees up a classroom by instituting AM/PM kindergarten.

Similar guidelines exist for each grade level.

• Modifying kindergarten to release the pressure

There are currently 4 classroom dedicated to Kindergarten. In the event a classroom needs to be “freed up” to address overcrowding the most likely way to do so is to modify the kindergarten schedule so the same number of students are served by 3 (or 2) classrooms versus the current 4.

Option 1) Split the day into AM and PM Kindergarten classes. Unfortunately with AM/PM Kindergarten resources such as Spanish and computers become a problem and the schedule can be a problem for parents. Teachers are not supported of this approach as the teaching day is shorter for each group of kids.

Option 2) Establish staggered day Kindergarten. One half of the class would arrive at 8:30 and depart at 1:50 while the second half would arrive at 9:30 and depart at 3:00pm. This would give the teachers and additional hour a day focused on 1/2 the class at a time.

Conclusion

At the moment there are still spaces available in each grade before the “cap” requiring the Kindergarten change is reached. [In grade 1 there are 13 spaces; grade 2, 5 spaces; grade 3, 8 spaces; grade 4, 19 spaces; and grade 5, 11 spaces.]

Again, as of today we have not reached the point where modified kindergarten or combination classes will be required.

The School board will be reviewing the numbers periodically and at the end of June will structure the classes and allocate the additional resources according to the guidelines. In the event a “cap” is reached they will take the steps necessary to reduce transfer students and consider adopting the options related to Kindergarten and combination classes.

As I learn more, I will post updates here. If you would like to hear from me by email when I post something on the topic, send me an email or give me a call.

Carmel’s Schools

Anyone living in Carmel, or interested in moving here, with children knows Carmel School District is one of the best public school districts in the state of California. The district consists of three elementary schools (Carmel River Elementary, Tularcitos Elementary School and Captain Cooper Elementary School), one middle school and one high school.

Last night’s school board meeting was well attended and everyone acknowledged that the district is a victim of its own success. I have real estate clients from as far away as Atlanta interested in moving into the district, our schools being a major reason. As the price of homes has fallen, and rental rates have dropped as well, buyers and renters are moving into the district when possible. [Monterey school district spends $8,000 per student per year while Carmel spends $16,000.]

All three elementary schools are exceptional. Tularcitos was recently identified as a blue ribbon school and all three schools repeatedly score in the highest category used by a number of rating services. All California public schools undergo yearly testing. The Carmel district repeatedly scores well above the state average. Carmel CST scores.

The Issue

Carmel River has seen an unanticipated influx of new students in the last year which has prompted the district to consider a boundary change, adjustment in class sizes, a change in the school day, and other ideas.

Moving the boundary between Tularcitos and River was opposed by nearly everyone in attendance. Tularcitos is located in Carmel Valley Village (a 15 to 20 minute drive from the mouth of Carmel Valley) and any shift in the boundary would have  a major impact on the families affected.

The Solution Proposed by the District Administration

There was an audible sigh of relief when the administration stressed that they were not recommending a boundary change to the School board. It is still an option but there appeared to be near unanimity among the board, the administration, and certainly the audience that it was the least appealing option.

The administration is proposing allowing up to 25 students in each of the River School kindergarten classes (although the number will probably be less), up to 23 in the second grade (rather than 20) and up to 22 in third grade.  The cost of this “first scenario” supported by the administration could be as high as $60,000 in “penalties.”

These penalties are actually a reduction in “incentives” offered by the state for keeping the average number of students in each class in those grades under 20.44 students.

While the district would rather keep those penalty dollars, there was an acknowledgement that the other alternatives (boundary change, split day kindergarten, and several others) all have financial costs as well (impact on families, subsidizing busing etc.)

What Next

The administration is working with a demographer to better estimate future enrollment and the board will again discuss the issue at its next meeting.

An Audit

There is a belief that there are a number of students attending schools in the district that do not live in the district. It is difficult to say if this is an urban myth or a real problem. The district is proposing a student audit. Under the proposal, each family at River School will have to prove residency later this spring. That will be followed by random “house checks” in a couple of select grades to confirm residency. The district also intends to publicize a “tip line” for anonymous tips that someone may not be a resident of the district.

The district has modeled its audit on that used by the Palo Alto district.

Other info

I’ll post links to the board minutes once they are available.

The Monterey Herald Article about the Carmel School Board Meeting

California Department of Education STAR results for Carmel School District

Great Schools (a source of data on school districts)

The School District Web page

The AT&T Golf Tournament mostly escaped rain on Friday and Saturday with 24 year old Dustin Johnson taking the lead. Every year as the tournament approaches I am asked by potential sellers what impact the event has on efforts to sell a home in Pebble Beach, Carmel, or the other peninsula communities.

The AT&T golf tournament and other events such as the Concours d’Elegance in August are very important because they bring people to town and remind those who watch the events on TV or read about them in the media that the Monterey Peninsula is a special place.

While a few homes will go into escrow during this weekend, the reality is that most attendees who are here for the tournament are far more interested in the golf, restaurants, and other activities than they are in looking at homes for sale. What happens most often is visitors for an event such as the Pro-am have a great few days here and decide to visit again in a few weeks or months on a follow up visit. It is on their return trip that they are more likely to learn a bit more about the different communities and explore the possibility of buying a home here.

This year the tournament fell on the same weekend as Valentine’s Day which is unfortunate for local commerce and for real estate as well. A Valentine’s weekend that doesn’t have any other major event will bring folks to town who are interested in walking on the beach, a romantic dinner, and exploring Carmel’s art galleries, Pacific Grove’s coastline, playing golf at Pebble Beach, and…..visiting a few open houses.

With any luck, next year we can all take long romantic walks through town-without rain-on Valentine’s Day, and enjoy the AT&T tournament on an equally sunny but different weekend.

In early December I had the priveledge of being the first Realtor to book a Zeppelin charter for some of my more adventurous real estate clients to look at their recent purchases from the air.  The twelve of us, plus the two pilots, departed Monterey airport and headed south east towards Carmel Valley. In advance I was able to provide the pilots with the GPS coordinates for a few of the passenger’s homes so we could more easily find them from the air.

The Zeppelin is Coming Back to Monterey…..

The Zeppelin is usually based in San Jose at Moffett Field from where it provides air tours of San Francisco. It also occasionally travels to Napa Valley. And, it will be back over Monterey, Pebble Beach, and Carmel on Thursday February 12th–The Thursday of the AT&T Golf Tournament.  [More information about schedule and costs below]

Our Trip

We headed out to just past Carmel Valley Village and on the way overflew the Del Mesa Development which is a short distance from the mouth of Carmel Valley on the North side.  [See CarmelValleyReport.com for market updates on the Valley.]

Cruising at about 40MPH we flew 1,000 feet above the ground past the village and the now closed Carmel Valley Airport.

We buzzed a few homes in Carmel Valley and then made our way west and flew over Carmel.  My two sons were able to identify their elementary school and we were able to easily identify the Sunset Center and a few other Carmel landmarks. [Carmel Real Estate info at www.carmelreport.com]

From Carmel we headed to Pebble Beach. [PebbleBeachReport.com] Looking back at Carmel Beach you get a sense of the view from the windows.

The airship is surprisingly quiet– much quieter than inside a commercial airplane. It is interesting to note that in addition to the large windows on each side, there are two windows that remain open. Given that you are only traveling at 40 MPH there is almost no wind noise but you don’t want to get to close without a hand on your hat.

There are no “bad seats” on the airship.

Except for takeoff and landing everyone is free to move around the cabin, discuss what they are seeing and even interact with the two pilots.

It is an amazing way to spend an hour and gain a whole new perspective of the Monterey Peninsula.

Information about Schedules and Flying

The Ship is scheduled to return to the Monterey area on Thursday the 12th. There are a couple of one hour tours scheduled about midday and a bit later in the afternoon. The standard rate is $495 per seat for the hour tour plus tax. However, they are running a special for this visit of “buy one and get the second one at 50%” and buy 5 get the 6th free.

If one wants to charter the entire ship (12 seats) the cost is $4,950 plus tax, equivalent to paying for 10 seats with 2 free.

If you would like to fly on the 12th drop me an email at malone@malonehodges.com or call my cell phone at 831-601-4740 and I can tell you more about our experience on the flight, the schedule for the 12th and set up a reservation.

 The airship website is at airshipventures.com. If you contact them directly mention my name and the discount offer. I hope to see you on the 12th!

Malone