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There was another bash in a vacant Bakersfield home this weekend.
This time, the home was in the 15600 block of Chateau Montelena Drive, southeast of Rosedale Highway and Heath Road.
Sheriff's deputies arrested 16 adults and cited 10 kids.
That makes three instances of parties in unoccupied...
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The New York Times and other media outlets have reported that Countrywide may be under investigation for misrepresenting their financial position at a time when the sub prime mortgage melt down was looming.
Meanwhile, Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo was one of three mortgage industry executives...
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Our latest home sales map is ready to roll.
No need to grab a map and figure out where to find Madonna Avenue and Mark Twain Avenue. (Yes, they truly do exist in Bakersfield and houses on those streets just sold.)
We've done the work for you in this map.
This map is updated with homes that...
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A Californian "Oddly Enough" presentation
Amidst the onslaught of mechanic’s liens currently flooding the county recorder’s office — most submitted by subcontractors seeking payment for work and supplies on construction projects — is an unusual one from...
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• The New York Times has a feature today on longtime Sacramento developer Dunmore Homes, which is now tanking (including its Kern County projects):
http://www.nytimes.com/2008...
• The Sacto Biz Journal has a story on...
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Melody Duncan was suffering from spring fever. Hay fever actually. An allergy to pollen that was making the prospect of spring less than inviting. Medications had the unfortunate side-effect of making her drowsy. Someone suggested a folk remedy, and she tried it with great results. Local honey....
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New loan limits from the federal government may help locals buy, or refinance their homes.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is temporarily raising Federal Housing Administration loan limits in some parts of the country — including Kern County, according to a Wednesday...
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More folks than usual (some even wearing nice clothes!) showed up at the daily City Hall auction this morning to see the SunCal foreclosure go down.
SunCal's debt to Lennar on 515 acres in Shafter had reached about $86 million (with interest and fees).
Bidding opened at $10 million. The...
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The Bakersfield metropolitan market, which includes ZIP codes 93301 through 93314, had 1,946 single-family home foreclosures in 2007.
That's according to a report put together by the Kern County Recorder's office using data from First American Real Quest that reporter Gretchen Wenner got her...
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Self-Help Enterprises will offer free foreclosure counseling at 2 p.m. Friday.
It will be at Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Kern & Tulare Counties, 5300 Lennox Ave., Suite 200.
Reservations are requested by calling (888) 412-0828. Spanish-speaking counselors will also be available....
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Here's Gretchen Wenner's latest report on the market:
Foreclosures reached another new high in Kern last month, according to the latest report from the Kern County Recorder’s office.
The monthly tally shows 586 properties foreclosed in February, up from 512 the previous month and 107 in...
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Wondering what homes are selling for? Look no further.
Check out our latest home sales map. It has the newest data on homes sold in Bakersfield from Jan. 13 to Jan. 20, 2008, with info from First American Real Estate Solutions. Plus it has the first two weeks of January.
Here's a summary of...
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Free counseling is available to help homeowners avoid foreclosure. It's coming to communities thoughout California with the help of an $8 million grant, according to a news release from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's folks.
The money's going to the California Housing Finance Agency and...
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Carl Cole, the former Crisp & Cole Real Estate broker and the subject of an ongoing FBI investigation, has a new job selling real estate on the coast.
Keller Williams Realty recently hired Cole, 60, to work in its Camarillo branch as a broker/associate, according to a Feb 3. advertisement...
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Here's what assistant editor John Cox dug up today:
Bakersfield’s median price for an existing home declined by 5 percent last month to $227,000, which represents an 18 percent drop from January 2007, the California Association of Realtors reported Monday.
Are we in trouble?
Read his...
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Today Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's task force on nontraditonal mortgages launched radio announcments meant to help people struggling with payments learn about ways to keep their homes.
It's known as the 90 Days of Hope campaign.
You can listen to them in English and Spanish.
Here's a summary...
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Our weekly home sales map is up!
No need to grab a map to figure out where streets such as Foxglove Court and Millay Way might be. We've done the work for you.
Check out our map updated with Jan. 7 to Jan. 13 sales. It also includes info for the first week of January. All data is from First...
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Bako police got search warrants to track down suspected mortgage fraud last fall.
No, not Crisp & Cole.
Agustin Ramirez. He took out more than $4.8 million worth of loans in about 9 months time that have now foreclosed or defaulted.
Two Realtors who may or may not be related to Ramirez...
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If the land dosen't belong to you, then you don't have much say about how it's used.
(Unless it's right by your home and is being used for a couple of purposes, such as a feedlot, rendering plant or a county dump.)
That's columnist Marylee Shrider's take she shares in this week's column.
She...
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The values of more than 40,000 homes suspected of losing value since their purchase are under review by the Kern County Assessor, a process that will reduce property tax bills for many homeowners, but also shrink a critical source of county revenue.
That's according to a report by Vanessa...
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A Bakersfield homebuilder who allegedly engaged in various fraudulent real estate activities is being investigated by the Kern County District Attorney’s office and the United States Attorney’s office, according to Deputy District Attorney Don Mingleton.
The U.S. Attorney’s...
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The number of bank-owned properties listed on the Bakersfield Multiple Listing Service, an index of properties for sale, topped the 1,000 mark Wednesday, according to Jon Vaughn, an agent with RE/MAX Magic and the host of a morning real estate radio show, Real Estate Today, on KGEO AM 1230. (Some...
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Jon Hess, the determined would-be homeowner who camped out last Friday to take advantage of major markdowns offered in two Bakersfield communities, got his prize.
"We did indeed get a home," Hess said in a voicemail message Wednesday. "We've got one under contract."
Kym...
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HUD's Federal Housing Administration is sending more than 54,000 letters to at-risk homeowners who might be looking for alternatives to their current mortgages.
According to Dawn Golik in the Fresno Office of Field Policy and Management, the letters are going to homeowners "who have...
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The state building association just sent a release with this uplifting headline:
" California Still Leads Nation in Unaffordability"
Here's a link:
http://www.cbia.org/go/cbia...
And the cheery opening:
Despite...
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Imagine having a home equity line of credit as a sort of reserve. Maybe just in case your mother can't pay her medical bills. Maybe because you work on commission and have it for the days times are bad.
It's happened in Bakersfield. Nobody knows exactly how many people here got letters, but...
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Check out our latest home sales map.
We have what sold in Bakersfield the first week of January, as compiled by reporter Vanessa Gregory. Information comes from First American Real Estate Solutions.
Some interesting notes for Jan. 1 to Jan. 7:
• 18 homes were sold.
• 5 sold for less...
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A few real estate items for the hungry out there. Bad news yadda yadda. Here goes.
One: Local defaults and foreclosures set new records (again) last month. Here's a link to existing story/PDFs. I'll update later in the day with more graphs:...
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Vacant land at the southwest corner of Lebec Road and Houser Avenue could sprout into 32 residential lots, following a zone change OK'd by the Kern County Planning Commission.
Not everyone at the meeting was happy about the plan. Read Jenney Shearer's full report, including details about a new...
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GMAC Bank issued a memo to branch managers, underwriters and the like last month, that begins:
"Effective for loans registered with GMAC Bank on or after January 7, 2008
"GMAC Bank Correspondent Funding (GMACB) Approved Correspondents please take notice; current home price trends...
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Okay, maybe everybody else has seen this little video, but I didn't watch this until a source mentioned it yesterday.
Slightly nauseating, but also pretty clever, the video illustrates a century's worth of U.S. home price fluctuations as an animated roller coaster ride.
--Vanessa Gregory, staff...
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Check out the homes sold in Bakersfield from Dec. 24 to Dec. 30 in our color-coded map.
You can see where the homes are, how much they sold for, square footage and more. This map shows homes sold from mid-December to almost the end of the month.
Reporter Vanessa Gregory compiles these...
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Yesterday we got a map going of home sales by week.
Now we've got it color-coded by sales price. So if you're just interested in homes that sold for, say, $200K to $250K, you can pick those without looking at every sale.
See it here.
We'll add to it every week, with a new map for each...
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What do you think of a large development slated for northeast Bakersfield? The city's Planning Commission heard comments about it Thursday night, and took a look at the report on environmental impacts.
Reporter Jenny Shearer was there and brings us this report.
You can also read the draft...
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It's that time of year when Realtors are deciding whether to join their associations again.
Some are leaving the profession amid faltering home prices and tough competition.
Staff writer Vanessa Gregory found the latest numbers and more about what's happening.
Read her full report.
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Public awareness of the government's FHASecure refinancing program -- designed to help those strapped by adjustable rate mortgages -- is low, said Adam Roberts, a mortgage adviser with Bakersfield's Guild Mortgage Co.
"I don't think the community knows enough about it," Roberts said...
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Who says L.A. media ignore Bakersfield?
Why, just this afternoon, a Reuters television crew stopped by Bakersfield to ask locals — including The Californian's assistant business editor, John Cox (who actually lives in Frazier Park) — about the state of Kern's housing market.
The...
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I have passed the e-PRO Technology Certification Program. It is a course for Real Estate Professionals that teaches them how to use technology, the Web, and yes, BLOGS!!!!
I knew a lot of the stuff already, and found it pretty easy to just whip through it. You take it all online, and the hardest...
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David Crisp and Carl Cole, the image-makers of Bakersfield’s bygone real estate boom, ended the year deep in a quagmire of home loan defaults, allegations of deceptive borrowing practices, civil lawsuits and an ongoing FBI investigation.
Although Cole, 60, left the now-defunct Crisp...
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What do you do when a car crashes into a house you’re trying to sell?
First, you need to rewrite the marketing remarks: Open floor plan . . . Easy access from garage to house . . . room with a view . . .
That is not just a hypothetical question, because a car somehow...
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The main house and former primary residence of David Crisp was auctioned off today at 11:20 AM on the steps of City Hall, this Monday, December 3rd. The 6,666-square-foot, four-bedroom, 4.5-bath home at 10509 Newquay Court sits behind gates on nearly three-quarters of an acre of manicured lawn....
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On Monday, I was at the Bakersfield Board of Realtors for their REALTORS® Giving Back, Giving Blood blood drive, sponsored by Houchin Blood Bank; and also donating food for the Christmas Can Tree, sponsored by the Golden Empire Gleaners. For those of you who missed it, The Houchin Blood...
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If you are unable to make your mortgage payment:
1. Don't ignore the problem.
The further behind you become, the harder it will be to reinstate your loan and the more likely that you will lose your house.
2. Contact your lender as soon as you realize that you have a problem.
Lenders do...
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The main house and primary residence of David Crisp was scheduled to be auctioned today at 10 AM on the steps of City Hall, but it was postponed until December 3rd. I have no idea why, and it was also postponed the previous time it was supposed to be auctioned off.
The 6,666-square-foot,...
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We have the former primary residence of David Crisp scheduled to be on our Caravan. The Bakersfield Association of Realtors has been having a Caravan where we view up to 15 available homes, each Thursday we focus on a different area. On November 1st we will be in SouthWest Bakersfield, West of...
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The fireplaces are gone. They were repossessed from the half-built structure Ammanda and Thomas Meek thought would be their dream home.
Construction stopped, Meek said, after a builder the couple hired in February stiffed subcontractors out of their rightful pay. Donald Juhasz, a licensed...
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The Bakersfield Association of Realtors has been around a long time, for more than a century. Since early on they have had a Multiple Listing Service, where all of the various Real Estate offices and agents would list all of the houses currently for sale. Before computers, this list would be...
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Saw this on the 11:00 news, and it is also online at www.bakersfield.com
Crisp & Cole
I posted something here in my blog on Friday, about the appraiser who did a lot of inflated appraisals for C&C. 20 minutes later I got a call from Vanessa Gregory. I admitted that it was only rumors I...
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Amid the national clamor about lender meltdowns, falling home prices and instability on Wall Street, the big question many consumers have about the real estate market remains basic and personal: Is now a good time to buy?
That's how my Sunday story started. You can read the whole article,...
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We have a Caravan every Thursday, which is where agents Caravan to a group of houses and view them. Some of the agents play a game, called Bakersfield, Come On Down, where we try to guess what the houses will sell for. When it sells, we check and see who had the best guess. Here are the houses...
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