More Homes Coming to Huntington Beach

The Engine of Home Building is Running Again
Inventory Scarcity On Its Way Out in Huntington Beach

The residential real estate 'inventory crunch' is coming to an end in Huntington Beach, as revealed by the Acting Manager of the Huntington Beach Planning Department Jane James.  Building permit issuance has reached a five year high nationwide, and there are many different local examples indicated by the Acting Manager.  While this means a narrowing of an ideal seller window, it further adds urgency to sellers who wish to take part in more of a buyer's market free from inventory pressures as more inventory is both literally built and pressure is added to release 'shadow inventory' (a semi-mythological set of homes held on to by investors and/or banks attempting to further mitigate their losses by hypothetically waiting for a more ideal market, worthy of discussion in a later blog).  Buyers will only continue to make further gains as more homes are built and released.  Huntington Beach's home development projects already in process are shaping up to create a residential real estate 'perfect storm' for buyer's and sellers.  In Huntington Beach, now is definitely time to get back in to the real estate game.

Among the many projects in the works, enough to cover through the summer, I'd like to point out some of the more interesting ones (to me) first.  One of the few genuinely tall buildings in the whole of Huntington Beach, the tall office building at the (Southwest) corner of Beach and Warner is a distinctly noticeable part of the Surf City landscape.  Freeway close and yet close enough to the beach, the centrally located office building and neighboring gym and restaurants have weathered the many recent economic storms relatively well, with more positive changes coming as plans have been submitted to expand the property to include 272 apartments and more commercial space included.  The expansion of this property is an exciting real estate 'booster shot' for the surrounding Huntington Beach community.


Two former school sites are currently in litigation with neighboring communities for development into single family residences.  The former Lamb School located north of Yorktown and between Brookhurst & Ward, plans have been submitted for 81 single family homes.  The former Wardlow School site located east of Magnolia between Adams and Yorktown, plans have been submitted for 49 single family homes.  New homes, new buyers, inspired sellers, all coalescing into a symphony of residential opportunity.

Find out what this can mean for you as a Huntington Beach homeowner, or future Huntington Beach homeowner, contact me and find your place in the emerging and unique market ahead!

Sylvia Harsin

714-612-5373

Sylvia@sylviaharsin.com

Spring Preparations

Spring Cleaning for a Spring Market

From a general timing and strategic perspective, no matter what you may hear to the contrary, spring really is the ideal time of year to sell your home.  More urgent than in prior years is the approaching perfect storm: currently there are more qualified buyers than there are homes available to sell them.  These conditions will likely not be the same next year as new home development is projected to skyrocket both nationally on the whole as well as locally in Huntington Beach.  In my search for important information with which to pass on to potential home sellers by way of my blog, I discovered twelve very good points for preparing your home for sale:

1. Talk to me, your local real estate professional and area expert, no matter how ‘early’ or ‘unprepared’ or ‘premature’ you might think it is; experienced agents like myself are able to find a strategy that works even if we can’t necessarily ‘strike while the iron is hot’.  And yes, this is a self-serving point to an extent, but it is an incredibly valid one.

2. Remove glass from light fixtures and take out any little critters that may have found a home over the winter.  Be sure to use glass cleaner on the panes before replacing them in your fixtures.

3. Check your house numbers.  Are they still in good shape and visible from the street?  If not, replace them.

4. Wash down your front door and garage door.  If you find that the previous summer’s sun has faded the paint, consider repainting.  

5. Wash the windows.  If this isn’t your strong suit, hire a professional.

6. Hose down the porch and driveway for a clean, crisp look.

7. Check your roof to make sure no shingles are missing or were damaged during the winter.

8. Remove debris from your gutters and drain spouts.

9. Remove winter displays from your urns.  For a burst of color, plant spring flowers as soon as weather permits. Tidy up your gardens in preparation for planting season.

10. Organize the garage. Put away shovels, snow blowers, toboggans, and any other items that made their way into your garage over the winter.

11. If you don’t use your barbeque year round, it’s time to bring it out.  If it’s a built-in unit that will be staying with the house, be sure to clean the grills and wash down the lid.  If you have a cover for it, replace it if it’s worn.

12. Remove the cover from your swimming pool and clean your pool as soon as your pool service company advises that it’s OK to do so, and bring out your patio furniture and set it up.  You want potential buyers to see your outdoor living space’s potential.

And back to point #1, to reiterate:


Sylvia Harsin
714-612-5373
Sylvia@sylviaharsin.com

A Spring For All Seasons

Spring Has Always Been The Best Time to List
(and this is the best Spring for listing in five years!)

The latest buzz phrase out of real estate jargon has made it to the lay person's ears: "inventory shortage" .   Perhaps more importantly is the whisper-turning-into-a-roar of the phrase which is the logical extension of an inventory shortage, but which couldn't be clearly spoken for almost five years, "Now would be the time to list!"  I am not preaching a self-serving gospel, this is an industry-wide and economic observation. Currently, housing inventories are at seven year lows which is driving average days on market lower and putting upward pressure on prices.

California homeowners who have wanted to sell their home for half a decade or more finally have a reason to hope; even celebrate.  More important than scarcity-driven pricing, and the even mix of investor and "actual" buyers who are genuinely qualified, are those elements in the works which add some urgency to the potential seller.  Home builders have once again put hammer to nail on a scale locally, statewide, and nationally which hasn't been seen in over five years.  From the Sacramento Forecast Project website http://sacramentoforecastproject.org/ca/ca_bp.htm which tracks building activity:

"With data through November of 2012, the total number of Residential Building Permits issued in California should end 2012 with a 23.5% (10,600) increase from the 45,200 permits in 2011. This was the third consecutive year of increases, prior to this increase, total permits had declined from a high of 207,400 permits in 2004 to a low of 33,300 permits in 2009 - an 84% decline in 5 years."  

The inventory shortage will not last long.  More inventory means a more competitive pricing market, and all the more reason to get the jump ahead of that curve and sell.  Sellers are in a 'sweet spot' enough that I decided to devote this blog to the importance of this strategic step and speak directly to the potential seller: let's not wait a moment longer!

Sylvia Harsin

714-612-5373

Sylvia@sylviaharsin.com

More Than Just A Beach Town

A Beach Town, and Everything Else You Could Want

The Incomparable Huntington Beach Central Park

As if it was not enough that Huntington Beach is world-class surf and sport destination, or an internationally acclaimed naturalist haven, or home to a truly unique community personality, it happens to have the largest city-owned park in Orange County.  Boasting over 350 acres of extensive landscaping, the Central Park has within it’s expanse Adventure Playground, an Amphitheater, a Disc Golf Course (more on that later), a Dog Park, an Equestrian Center, an Exercise Course, Lakes, Playgrounds, Restaurants, Shipley Nature Center, a Sports Complex and The Urban Forest.  As distinctive as the park is as a whole, is the Huntington Beach Central Park Library, which has the largest children’s library west of the Mississippi.  If you are thinking about making Huntington Beach your home, and you follow my recommendation of coming out to visit regularly before you decide, you may not make it to the beach if you head down Goldenwest from the 405 Freeway and stop off at the park you notice spanning both sides of the street after you pass Slater and before you reach Ellis.  You won’t regret it if you do.

As a good example of one of the many things always going on at the park, Disc Golf is played every weekday (check for times) at the Huntington Beach Disc Golf Course, and the public is welcome to participate in this easy to learn sport.  Parking is in the Central Park lot off Golden West Street between Talbert and Ellis.  Call: (714) 425-9931 for more details. 

After enjoying any of the many features, or any of the several special events (such as the equestrian jumper show coming up this spring), Huntington Beach Central Park offers the opportunity to relax and enjoy a great meal with some amazing restaurants on the grounds.  The Park Bench Café is particularly rewarding for providing great food alongside the park’s trails where a visitor’s appetite is worked up to begin with.  Picnics are welcome also, but it’s good to know you can have a complete culinary experience without having to prepare ahead of time for your visit.

Making regular visits to Huntington Beach Central Park will only confirm suspicions that you will never have the same experience twice.  Making Huntington Beach your home will confirm you will have a rich variety of experiences without ever leaving your home town.  Let’s find your home in Huntington Beach together.

Sylvia Harsin

714-612-5373

Sylvia@sylviaharsin.com