Dickson Realty’s September 2015 Newsletter
The Dickson Truckee Team 11836 Donner Pass Road | Truckee, CA 96161 | 800.541.4440
Dickson Realty’s September 2015 Newsletter
July home sales climb to highest level in nearly three years as prices remain near recent high Source: C.A.R. Sustained job and income growth gave home buyers the confidence in July to jump into the California housing market, pushing home sales to their highest level in nearly three years, according to the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.). •Home sales have risen year over year for six straight months. •Home sales remained above the 400,000 mark in July for the fourth consecutive month and rose to highest level since October 2012. Closed escrow sales of existing, single-family detached homes in California totaled a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 449,530 units in July. •The July figure was up 2.7 percent from the revised 437,680 level in June and 12.7 percent compared with home sales in July 2014 of a revised 398,980. •The year-to-year change was the highest since July 2009 and significantly higher than the 6-month average increase of 6 percent observed from January 2015-June 2015. See next page -
The Dickson Truckee Team 11836 Donner Pass Road | Truckee, CA 96161 | 800.541.4440
Dickson Realty’s September 2015 Newsletter •C.A.R. President Chris Kutzkey commented, “While July home sales rose at the statewide level, the market is still constrained by low housing affordability and a tight supply in areas where job growth is robust, such as San Francisco and San Jose. Neighboring regions such as Napa, Solano, and Sonoma are experiencing strong sales due to their affordability and proximity to job centers. However, housing affordability could become a bigger issue in these areas if housing demand continues to grow but supply can’t keep pace.” •The median price of an existing, single-family detached California home dipped 0.3 percent in July to $488,260 from $489,640 in June. July’s median price was 5.4 percent higher than the revised $463,330 recorded in July 2014. Read the full story http://www.car.org/newsstand/newsreleases/2015releases/july2015sales
The Dickson Truckee Team 11836 Donner Pass Road | Truckee, CA 96161 | 800.541.4440
Dickson Realty’s September 2015 Newsletter
Credit scores are greatly misunderstood by many. Here’s some truth – instead of myth.
The Dickson Truckee Team 11836 Donner Pass Road | Truckee, CA 96161 | 800.541.4440
Dickson Realty’s September 2015 Newsletter Markets are seeking clarity and will interest rates rise? An estimated $2 trillion has been lost in the U.S. market alone in recent weeks, $5 trillion globally. That’s a tremendous anti-wealth effect a kind of anti-stimulus –set to hit around the world economies all at the same time. As smart as they might be, Fed officials don’t know what will happen next. Most traders are betting interest rates will be held at record lows longer. However, the Fed has not confirmed what they will do. We are in a conundrum we have seen before. If the Fed tightens policy (raises rates) with slowing global growth, falling inflation, and a flight to the U.S. dollar, the more those long-term inflation expectations could drop dragging yields with them. It’s good to remember that all the fed does is set a targeted extremely short-term, overnight interest rate that most impacts bank's overnight lending dealing directly with the central bank. The longer term interest rates that set most mortgage rates is different, it is affected by global demand and what the market thinks inflation will be over a longer time horizon. If inflation will be higher this can set a demand for a higher yield on longer-term securities (mortgage rates). We are carefully watching what rates will be doing however it’s in the coming month. We look forward to helping with your specific scenario. What we know right now is rates are still great in the low 4’s for 30 year fixed for most loan programs and in low to mid three’s for 15-year programs.
The Dickson Truckee Team 11836 Donner Pass Road | Truckee, CA 96161 | 800.541.4440
Dickson Realty’s September 2015 Newsletter
A professional agent will make the home buying process not only understandable, but as easy as possible for you.
The Dickson Truckee Team 11836 Donner Pass Road | Truckee, CA 96161 | 800.541.4440
Dickson Realty’s September 2015 Newsletter Stock Market Volatility and What To Do – or Not Do Many investors are concerned about the recent turns in the stock market and it’s volatility. The devaluation of Chinese currency and drop in oil prices have led to big swings – rarely a comfortable experience. We can’t help but wonder if the current situation is a harbinger of things to come. Arming yourself with knowledge and looking at the market with perspective is helpful for understanding the times and maintaining a sense of balance. Here are two interesting articles that my help you make sense of the current market. http://blogs.wsj.com/briefly/2015/08/21/5-things-investors-shouldnt-do-now/ This next article does a very good job of providing perspective. It also highlights why certain psychological concepts are so important to be aware of when dealing with important and emotional laden decisions such as how to manage one’s life savings. http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2015/08/24/the-cruel-psychology-of-the-1000-point-drop/ Market drops can be an opportunity for tax loss harvesting and for shifting an allocation if that was already on the personal financial planning “to do” list. It is always good to make financial decisions in context – of the whole picture, the timeframe, the life you wish to lead both now and later. Sources: Wall St. Journal
The Dickson Truckee Team 11836 Donner Pass Road | Truckee, CA 96161 | 800.541.4440
Dickson Realty’s September 2015 Newsletter September EVENTS 1 – Farmers Market (weekly) Truckee River Regional Park, 10500 Brockway Rd 8am – 1pm 4 & 5 – Summer Fine Art Fair Homewood Mountain Resort 10am – 5pm 2 Dimensional Art/Arts & Craft Fairs: Photography, Handmade Jewelry, Pottery, Wooden Toys & Wood Sculptures; Painted Clothing & Umbrellas, Quilts, Vintage Silver Items, Weaving, Metal, Painted Glass and Sculptured glass 4 – Kids Night Out Northwoods Clubhouse, Tahoe Donner 5-9pm, $20 in advance Information and RSVP: 530-587-9437 5 - 26th Annual Foam Fest Craft Beer Tasting and Live Music KT Sundeck at Squaw Valley USA 2 - 6pm Tickets are $30 in advance, $35 day of event, Donation of $10 for music without beer tasting, Kids 12 and under are free Information: https://dsusafw.webconnex.com/FoamFest2015 The Dickson Truckee Team 11836 Donner Pass Road | Truckee, CA 96161 | 800.541.4440
Dickson Realty’s September 2015 Newsletter 6 – Back for Thirds Fireworks Gar Woods, Carnelian Bay 8:30 – 9:30pm free Lake Tahoe Fireworks Spectacular. Labor Day in Carnelian Bay. 00 per cent of donations go directly to North Tahoe-Truckee area High School sports programs. 6 - Pancake Breakfast Sierra Senior Center, 10040 Estates Drive, Truckee 8 to 11am, $7adults/$3 kids A fundraiser for Sierra Senior Services Information: www.sierraseniors.org 7 - First Fridays Historic Downtown Truckee, 5:30 - 8 pm Most of downtown’s unique shops, boutiques, art studios, and eateries will keep their doors open later and offer special promotions, activities, demonstrations, food and beverages, music, and more! Participating shops and restaurants will display First Friday Flags so the public will know where the fun is. Information: www.historictruckee.com 12 - World Concert- A Peace Project of Truckee Tahoe 6:30pm; Sand Harbor Shakespeare Stage, Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park Starting at $23 Information: www.trailsandvistas.org The Dickson Truckee Team 11836 Donner Pass Road | Truckee, CA 96161 | 800.541.4440
Dickson Realty’s September 2015 Newsletter 11 – 13 30th Annual Lake Tahoe Autumn Food & Wine Festival Northstar California Information: www.northstarcalifornia.com 12 – Trails and Vistas Art Hikes Spooner Summit Trailhead $35 adults, $12 children 4 to 10 yrs Trails and Vistas celebrates Art, Earth and Sky with guided art hikes. Slower paced moderate three-mile hike featuring 8 to 12 art or performance sites along a two to three mile trail. Arthikes depart every 15 minutes guided by a Trail Leader. Information: www.trailsandvistas.org 12 – Tahoe Sierra Century Ride This ride has earned praise for its scenic routes, challenging hill climbs (60 & 100 mike routes), full support, great food and incredible music. Information: www.tahoesierracentury.com 19 - Trails & Vistas Art Hike "Finding Beauty“ Donner Ski Ranch, Donner Summit $35 adults, $12 children 4 to 10 yrs Trails & Vistas is the most unique art experience in the Tahoe/Truckee region with music, dance, poetry, and installation art. This year's Truckee hike will take place on Donner Summit, where you will find an atmosphere that is relaxing and carefree. Host Sponsor and starting location is Donner Ski Ranch, about a 12 minute drive from Truckee, overlooking Donner Lake with amazing vistas The Dickson Truckee Team Information: www.trailsandvistas.org
11836 Donner Pass Road | Truckee, CA 96161 | 800.541.4440
Dickson Realty’s September 2015 Newsletter 20 – Ironman Lake Tahoe Bike race runs through Historic Downtown Truckee - Event ends at Squaw Valley In addition to the 140.6 mile race, the inaugural IRONMAN 70.3 Lake Tahoe triathlon will take place concurrently with the IRONMAN Lake Tahoe triathlon. This is the first time a North American city will host both races in a single day. Information: www.squawalpine.com 26 – Fall Trail Day 10am – 1pm, DL Bliss State Park $25 includes lunch, parking fee and return transportation Celebrate Fall's beauty with a guided hike along the Rubicon Trail from Lester Beach at DL Bliss to the Boat-In Camp at Emerald Bay. Lunch will be waiting for you at the end of the hike. 26 – Oktoberfest 2- 6pm; Village at Squaw Valley Bavarian Music, Brats & Kraut, an authentic German Beer Garden, and Oktober fest games such as Brat tossing, beer keg races and more. Information: www.squawalpine.com
The Dickson Truckee Team 11836 Donner Pass Road | Truckee, CA 96161 | 800.541.4440