Conforming Loans Lead the Way

Conforming loans are about the only option these days for those prospective buyers who have less than a 20% down payment. Though this loan amount is poised to increase to $729,750 soon, it is currently set at $625,500. Along with that down payment, you’ll need acceptable credit scores and incomes.

So what’s available for up to $695,000, assuming you’re working with a 10% down payment? Quite a bit of inventory, it seems. There are 210 single-family houses on the market, ranging in price from $179,000 for a 625-square foot, one-bedroom short sale house that’s tenant occupied in Bayview, to a three-bedroom home in Bernal Heights on College Terrace. In addition to Bernal and Bayview, neighborhood selections include Merced Heights, Ingleside, Outer Sunset, and Sunnyside.

There are 493 condos available, but it’s important to have your lender or mortgage broker review a particular building prior to even considering making an offer. Lenders are hesitant to lend on condo buildings, so there are further limitations to what you may be able to purchase.

I’d recommend considering properties priced as high as $725,000-$750,000, as your chances of negotiating for what you can afford increase the longer the property sits on the market–presuming you have a motivated seller on hand.

Santa Rosa Returns

santa-rosa1 After coming on the market in November 2008 and going in and out of contract, 212 Santa Rosa is back on the market at its holding-strong list price of $649,000.

This 2BR/1BA house in the popular Mission Terrace neighborhood definitely has potential. Big-ticket items are the $35,000 pest work, asbestos removal from the ceiling, and a kitchen remodel. But the average price of a two-bedroom home in the neighborhood is about $620,000 (based on sales from Oct 1, 2008 to today). So if you factor in anywhere from $50,000-$100,000 worth of work on probably the low end—I’m not factoring in all the odds and ends that the contractor report indicated—the list price is probably too high.

But as with all homes on the market, this one is likely ripe for negotiation (especially given the fact that it’s a probate sale). For the right price, the project could be a sound one—especially given its prime Mission Terrace location.

Market Update: Bernal, Mission, Potrero

With a penchant for warm weather, Bernal Heights, The Mission, and Potrero Hill are popular among first-time home buyers. Here’s a look at the price averages in these neighborhoods over the last quarter of 2008:

Bernal Heights
Single-Family Homes
$827,877 (25 sold)

Condos
$641,333 (6 sold)

The Mission
Single-Family Homes
$690,220 (4 sold)

Condos
$638,545 (11 sold)
Take note: The most expensive condo sold was a 3BR/2BA, top-floor condo built in 2000, on Capp at 22nd Street with one-car parking.

Potrero Hill
Single-Family Homes
$811,250 (4 sold)

Condos
$619,677 (21 sold)
Take note: The 888 7th Street development represented many of the 21 condo sales in the past quarter. The highest-priced condo was a two-story 3BR/2BA unit on San Bruno Avenue (right opposite 280) that was listed at $869,000 and sold for $920,000 in early October.