Bad is that there were only 12 sales in that time period as opposed to 13 the previous week.
Good was that the middle range prices, $600,000 and up have seen more action.

The one high price home, located in Cedar Ridge &  pictured here, took a significant reduction to sell, as we’ve seen repeatedly in Cedar Ridge. Beautiful homes that are not in proximity to the lake are suffering more than any others as far as price point goes. Big view homes of average size in good condition with garages have slipped to low to mid-600,000. Most of the homes you see in the $600,000 were either near the lake or with lake views. Price reductions from asking price in this area were reasonable not like the 10% percent dips we were seeing this summer. Gated communities are still sought after.

But one of the biggest changes which hearkens back to the good old days is that there are a lot of buyers out there right now seriously looking. I call it the “holiday season” buyers. When the air gets crisp and the leaves turn colors and fall, buyers become mesmerized by the prospect of great Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and New Years celebrations in climate unlike most of Southern California. I think we will see an active market through the New Year and if you have your home listed with us, do not be shy about adding tasteful holiday touches to the residence, it will only wet people’s appetites.

Also the first two low priced homes were fabulous buys for lake rights in good areas- click here to see all of them. Very few REOs or Short Sales this period which is always good to see as they the primary cause of price drops. Inventory is still high but come the first of the year a great number will drop off as most people want to keep their homes off the market during the messy months.

As you know the prices you see on the e-mail are the asking price not the sale prices. The homes you see, sold for these prices: $193,000, $190,000, $235,000. $360,000, $355,000, $360,000, $437,500, $525,000, $627,000, $640,000, $625,000, and $820,000.

If you have any questions feel free to give us a call – 909.908.8520.

Best wishes,
Jan Skrentny and Rowland Parker

The further from the lake the more price falls. Lake front, lake front gated communities and areas those adjacent to the lake like Tavern Bay and West Shore are holding price better than anything else. The Lake is what Lake Arrowhead is all about. Big view homes are also holding up fairly well but to get a large view you get further from the lake. Thus the conflict.

There were an increase in the number of houses going into escrow last week. Still, houses going into escrow and houses selling are not the same. Especially when those houses are Short Sales or REOs.

Owner owned homes will still command more because by and large they are in better shape and you can depend on the disclosures. Short sales take long, long, long and are full of silences and uncertainty. REO’s give no assurances of anything other than your inspections better be very good.

- Jan Skrentny

As a licensed California Real Estate Agent, I can list and sell anywhere our diverse state. But I have no professional standing in Virginia except that I know the questions to ask to help my friend get the necessary information on HOA (Home Owner Association) rules, zoning, taxes, septic systems, water rights, construction codes, historic excavation sites, drainage, and, not to overlook, the best price for the property. Like agents in California, some of the Virginia agents we dealt with were very forthcoming with information while others only answered the questions they are asked.

In my opinion you’re better off with the former.

However, the point of this page is that at the same time I was in Northern Virginia, in Lake Arrowhead I had an escrow closing, two clients wanting to write offfers, another escrow running into some bumps, and one new client wanting to know information on property that had just come onto the market and I had not seen.

As I have written before, Prime Properties is a boutique agency. We have ten agents, all ten of whom I know well, especially their strengths – construction, landscaping, decorating, appraising, contracts, commercial property, repoes, dealings with banks, people skills. I am fortunate that I could pick between them for the qualities I needed most to help my clients even though I was physically not there.

Of course I was on the phone with my clients all the time but when they needed to view a property in person, submit an offer, investigate an inspection problem, get keys after a closing – I had skilled people to back me up; as I would back them up if the situation were reversed.

A year ago, Jeff came up with a new concept for real estate; he calls it Transforming Real Estate.

So how do we transfor real estate? Well, to proverbially put his money where his mouth is, Jeff bougth an old, run-down gas station on the corner of Hwy 189 and Daley Canyon, truly an eye-sore and transformed it, made it into an utterly beautiful building (“eye-popping”) which is our new office as well as the Lake Arrowhead Welcome Center.

The building is like a giant living room with comfortable seating, music, a fire place, sitting garden, fountains, large screen video projection. Not a cubical or desk in sight. The idea here is to be helpful: answer questions, give out information, help those who come in better focus their ideas on what is important for them and their families.

Jeff has also gathered an eclectic group of agents: Interior designers, builders, commercial developers, landscape planners, engineers, accountants and me – a former Hollywood screenwriter and film maker for PBS, The Smithsonian and National Geographic.

We help each other do the best job for our clients from buying land, designing a home, building, remodeling, improving exterior design or finding the perfect home be it horse property, view property, lake front property, secluded property.

Here’s the scoop: for most agents real estate is just about making money – it’s very gratifying to be helpful, too.

When you come to Lake Arrowhead or the surrounding communities stop by the Welcome Center and let us welcome you.

Every Thursday morning hundreds of real estate agents in the Lake Arrowhead area get up early to ready themselves for the rigors of…”Touring” otherside known as “Agent’s Tour Day.”

This is the day we go out to see new listings. Often times the listing agent will serve food or have a drawing for dinner, bottles of wine, Angels tickets in an effort to attract agents to see their listing. Why would they do that?

Well, you see, usually, agents sell you your home. You give them the criteria: number of bedrooms, garage or not, on the lake and they make the choices of what you’ll see or not see. Some of the big companies prefer to show you just their listings – they’re big, have big overhead and you get the picture.

Smaller agencies are inclined to show you everyone’s listings. Agents are your gate-keepers of information. And in real estate – information is power.

On Friday mornings some of us tour Crestline listings – that is a neighboring community. There are not as many of us because Crestline prices aren’t as high and therefore neither are commissions. You get the picture again, I’ll bet.

The motto of one agent from a big company is: “I’ll drive anywhere.” And she does. She’s a very good agent. You really want a very good agent to represent you – it’s just finding her or him that’s the trick.