FRIDAY - FEELS LIKE 65 DEGREES
- Lush Gardens With Low Water Needs
- All-Cash Share of U.S. Home Purchases Drops in May- Improving Economy and Job Growth Draw Buyers Back to Housing Market
- Finally: San Jose Starts to Capitalize on Tech Boom
- 54 Percent of American adults living with friends or relatives plan to move out within a year
- Harsh reality for young home buyers
- Landscape Paving 101: How to Use Brick for Your Path or Patio
Enjoy!
All-Cash Share of U.S. Home Purchases Drops in May- RealtyTrac released its May 2015 U.S. Home & Foreclosure Sales Report, which shows 24.6 percent of all single family home and condo sales in May were all-cash purchases, down from 28.5 percent in the previous month and down from 30.4 percent a year ago to the lowest level since November 2009.
Improving Economy and Job Growth Draw Buyers Back to Housing Market - With an improving economy and job market over the past year, home buyers have started forming households again, and buyers who previously experienced a foreclosure or short sale are back in the housing market, according C.A.R.’s “2015 Survey of California Home Buyers.”
Finally: San Jose Starts to Capitalize on Tech Boom - According to the US Census, the median household income in San Jose is $81,829. Compare that to $75,604 in San Francisco. But San Jose lags other cities in the region in capitalizing on sales tax revenues. People shop regionally without regard for city borders. So while Whole Foods has stores in nearby small cities — Campbell and Los Gatos, and another coming soon in Santa Clara — San Jose has only two. San Jose officials say this city of a million people serves as a bedroom community for the region. But in order to provide those residents with the city services they require, urban planners say San Jose needs to pull in more retail and corporate development.
54 Percent of American adults living with friends or relatives plan to move out within a year - The number of shared households – those with an adult that does not own the home or is not the significant other of the homeowner – has taken off to incredibly high levels during the economic recovery. Such shared households have put a drag on household formation, which is an important economic driver leading new house construction and growth.
Harsh reality for young home buyers - Younger Californians hoping to buy a home may be graying by the time they can save enough to buy a median-priced home in many parts of California. For instance, Trulia says it would take 18 years for a San Diego household of college-educated young professionals earning the median income to afford a median-priced home in the county. A household earning $89,000 per year that can save 10 percent of its income for 18 years would then have enough money for the standard 20 percent down payment on a median-priced home of $589,000 in the county. It takes 29 years to save for a 20 percent down payment if a household has a college degree; the cities San Jose and Los Angeles round out the top three.
Landscape Paving 101: How to Use Brick for Your Path or Patio - Brick paving is classy, timeless and a natural building material. Here are some pros and cons to help you decide if it’s right for your yard. Some of my favorites:
