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Talent, Oregon- Not So Hidden Gem Anymore

Used to be that when one couldn’t afford Ashland, that they went to Talent…so they were close to Ashland. While it is cheaper, it is hard to find a house there. And anymore, it just isn’t that much cheaper.

Looking at statistics in Talent, Oregon. There are currently 13 houses for sale with a median asking price of $335,000. 19 houses are under contract with a median price of $298,500. And in the last year, 76 houses have sold with a median sales price of $289,000.

My interpretation of those number is a market that is rapidly appreciating. Or that sellers are feeling the market is hot, and testing the prices.  When you have a day on market of less than one month, and only 2 months worth of housing stock available, it is the logical conclusion to see what the market will really bear.

Those ratios show a market that is short on listings.

Of the 13 houses on the market, over half of them have been on less than a month. So it is a little early to tell if the sellers will be getting their increased asking prices or not.

This is just one of the many micro-economic areas in the Rogue Valley.

I specialize in analyzing property values.

So right now if you are looking to sell a home, if it is priced right we should be able to sell it pretty quickly for a fair market price.

Anywhere in Jackson County, send me your address and I will get back to you and help you determine the value of your home.

Bank sells house to different sellers at same time

Here is a funny story I read online today.

In San Clemente California, a house was sold to two different sellers, at the same time. You can read the whole story here, but I will give a short synapses, with my personal commentary.

Douglas Garhartt and Brandon Lively  bought a 3-bedroom condo on March 11. The seller had been in default on his mortgage and Garhartt and Lively purchased the place as a short sale for $365,000.

But on March 15, OneWest Bank, the bank that was involved in the short sale, sold the same property at auction for $346,896 to a group of real estate investors.

So those appear to be the basic facts. Both buyers are trying to figure out what to do, and who is at fault here. But most likely first buyers who purchased the short sale will get to keep the house, while the investors will be left trying to figure out how to get their money back.

So what happened here? From a Realtor’s perspective, this goes to the heart of what I have been telling clients for a long time. These big banks have different departments that do not effectively communicate with each other.

You have a Loss Mitigation Department that works on trying to modify loans, short sale, etc…to keep the house from being foreclosed on. And then you have the Debt Collection/Foreclosure department that is following their old fashioned method of hounding and harassing the borrower, and foreclosing. Foreclosure is the most expensive option the banks generally have.

One would think that the banks would want to do everything they could to minimize their losses, yet they continue to foreclose, and lose more money. You would think that they could assign one person/department to work with the homeowner, and their representatives (ie…Realtors, Bankruptcy Attorneys, etc) and come up with a solution that worked in the best interest of all parties.

But it is so clearly illustrated by this article what actually happens in these large banks. If the executives at these banks wanted to really make a difference, save their companies money, etc…they would look at this story, talk to the people on the ground, and change the core way they do business.

Since that isn’t going to happen, what can the average person do, and what lessons can be learned.

The big lesson is the risk of buying a house on the courthouse steps. You don’t get title insurance on the courthouse steps, and basically have to pay cash. That is why the short sale buyers will most likely keep the house. They have title insurance. So either they keep the house, or the title company has to pay them back.

The investors on the other hand will most likely need to spend more money to litigate a settlement, either from the bank, or the title company that was involved.

If you are in the Ashland or Medford Oregon area, and want to talk more about this, don’t hesitate to contact me. adam@agentinakilt.com

Current Foreclosures in Jackson County

Foreclosure-Notice-300x200A quick search of the Southern Oregon MLS shows that today there are 133 bank owned (REO) forclosed houses currently for sale.

These properties are all kinds…in all price ranges.

On the bottom end is a $55,000 house in Evans Creek on an acre that has fire damage. But more realistically, there is a house in West Medford on Grape street that is listed at $65,000.

Then on the other end of the spectrum, there is a 388 acre Rogue river front property with 3 houses, plus fitness center….etc….that would make an awesome retreat. It is listed for sale at $4,850,000.  Or perhaps a 26 acre horse ranch is Ashland is your idea of a great foreclosure deal, that one listed at $1,200,000.

Here is a breakdown by Area

  • East Medford    32
  • West Medford   17
  • Central Point     16
  • Talent                     1
  • Ashland                  6
  • Jacksonville         1
  • Eagle Point            9
  • Shady Cove         12
  • White City            15
  • Gold Hill               10
  • Other areas          14

Price range for the active forclosed houses are:

  • Under $100k       7
  • $100-140k          31
  • $140-200k          39
  • $200-250k          25
  • $250-350k          17
  • $350-500k           9
  • Over $500k          5

So whether you are looking for a $4 million dollar foreclosure deal, or a $65,000 foreclosure deal, I can help. There are some special requirements when dealing with negotiations with bank owned properties, but I would be happy to assist you with them.

If you would like to be put on a list and have new foreclosure properties (in whatever price range) sent to your email as they become available, contact me and I will set that up for you.

As always, you can conduct your own searches for Ashland Oregon Real Estate at my website www.Agentinakilt.com.

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