Natural History Museum on South McClelland Street in Santa Maria, CAHow many houses are for sale in Santa Maria right now? I get this question all the time. Many buyers feel as if there are no houses for sale in Santa Maria. When I surveyed the MLS this morning, there were 163 houses listed for sale in the Santa Maria and Orcutt CA area. Of those 163 homes, 29 were foreclosures (REOs) and 45 were short sales. It is interesting to note that the average list price of the these active listings was $377,000, which is much higher than the average price of homes sold in Santa Maria in 2009 ($218,000), and also higher than the average price of homes sold in Orcutt in 2009 ($333,000). So, it appears that most of the available houses for sale in Santa Maria and Orcutt are at the higher end of the market. So, that may explain why most buyers feel as if there aren’t any homes on the market.
In addition to the 163 houses for sale in Santa Maria there were 162 contingent listings. Twenty were contingent REOs (foreclosures), and 138 were contingent short sales. A contingent REO is a foreclosure listing where the bank has verbally accepted an offer and they are waiting on the parties to complete the contract paperwork. A contingent short sale is a short sale listing where the owner has already accepted an offer and they are waiting on the bank to approve that offer so they can begin the escrow period.
If you are interested in buying a home in the Santa Maria or Orcutt area in the near future, please call me today at (805) 878-9879 to schedule a buyer consultation. Or, send me an email and request a list of available properties in the Santa Maria and Orcutt areas.
*Based on the information from the Central Coast Regional MLS. Neither the Association, the Multiple Listing Service, or Mint Properties guarantees or is in any way responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by the Association or its MLS may not reflect all real estate activity in the market.
So many of the first time home buyers in the Santa Maria market today are concerned about whether they will qualify for the $8000 tax credit. Short sale purchases can qualify for the credit , so long as the buyer qualifies for the credit in general. (You should check withb your tax professional on this issue). However, because the timelines on short sales are somewhat undetermined, they can fail to close by the deadline for the tax credit. Right now, it is my understanding that in order to qualify a buyer must have a confirmed contract by April 30th. In the case of a short sale purchase, this means the buyer must have a signed contract and bank approval of the short sale in hand in order to qualify for the tax credit. And, the transaction must close by June 30th.
The Historic Carriage District is one of Santa Maria's oldest and most charismatic neighborhoods. Have you seen my video about the Carriage District? Older homes aren't for everyone - they are truly a labor of love. I grew up in this neighborhood (on Palm Court Drive) and it resides in my heart. There is a significant amount of Santa Maria history in this neighborhood. The Carriage District lies on both sides of Speed Street, between Broadway and Miller and it is anchored by the Santa Maria Inn and Santa Maria High School's Ethel Pope Auditorium.
