Real estate investors in Dublin Ranch who have a desire to fix and flip homes or condos just got a HUGE favor from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development: they no longer have to wait 90 days from their date of purchase to sell a flip property to an FHA buyer!

Before this change, if you purchased a home -- regardless of condition -- you had to wait for 90 days to be able to sell it to an FHA buyer.. With so many buyers today qualifying to purchase through FHA financing, this wiped out a significant portion of prospective buyers. I’ve never understood this rule in the first place, and I’m glad to see it go. The reality is, a recently re-habbed house with good disclosures is probably one of the best-quality homes on the market. For an investor to have to risk vandalism and higher holding costs to allow a sale to an FHA buyer is just plain silliness.

But this new development is not a permanent change. It is effective for homes purchased after February 1, 2010 and is good for one year unless the FHA Commissioner decides to extend it. There’s some additional conditions that go along with the new waiver; to see them, check out the press release from the HUD website.

If you’re interested in putting our team to work to find fix-and-flip homes for you to invest in, we’d love to hear from you. We’ve done this quite a bit and are well-experienced in what to look for to maximize your profits.

A new opportunity to purchase a Dublin Ranch condo in the Villas is here, and it’s a beautiful home that any Dublin Ranch buyer should take a serious look at. It features a hardwood floor on the main level, stainless steel appliances, cherry cabinets, an open view to the south out the entrance of the community, and is literally a few short steps to the community fitness center and the pool.

4092 Clarinbridge Circle is being offered for sale at $349,900 by Majed Sartipi, a RE/Max agent. It is not available to show until Friday, January 15th, but I’ll be happy to show it to you and write you an offer if this opportunity seems interesting to you.

There’s a couple of catches with this home, though, that I should probably make you aware of here. The first is that it’s a short sale, and it’s the most difficult kind of short sale to deal with -- there are two loans and they are with two different lenders. After reviewing the tax records on this property, I can tell you that the second will likely not be due anything from the short sale (the value is below the balance of the first…) and that always creates a tug-of-war in the negotiation process trying to get the second mortgage to cooperate with the sale. They don’t have to, and they can drag the first into foreclosure if they choose to.

The second catch is that this home shares a common wall with the fitness center, and the Villas used to have complaints from the neighboring homes in this building about noise. This has been decreased since a rubber floor was installed in the fitness center but if you’re a light sleeper, or if you work nights, this may not be the best home for you.

Still, it’s a great price; for a buyer who’s interested in getting a great deal on a Dublin Ranch condo and has time to wait for the short sale to be negotiated, this is a great opportunity.

Real estate in December is rarely exciting. Most everyone is spending extra time with family and friends who are in town or they’ve gone out of town themselves. Typically, that means deals have to be put on hold and often it means new listings get put off entirely. So, why did I grab your attention with yummy breakfast foods? Well, let’s just say the December numbers for Dublin Ranch townhomes and condos haven’t exactly been typical.

New listings and the overall number of properties for sale both dipped, unsurprisingly. But, contrary to what one might expect, the average days on market for a Dublin Ranch condo or townhome this last month was 32 days. That’s down 36% from December ‘07 and 68% from December ‘08. Not impressed by December numbers in general? How about coming down 50% from this past November? With that kind of interest in Dublin Ranch townhomes and condos maybe it’s time to consider putting your property on the market.

Over the past two years sales of Dublin Ranch condos and townhomes have increased by 80%. The trend here indicates that these types of properties should continue to enjoy an excited market for a short period of time. Don’t miss out on the opportunity.

Download this month’s housing report for Dublin Ranch Condos and Townhomes.

As you may already know, the Bay Area Rapid Transit District has plans to extend service throughout the Livermore area. At this time, BART is selecting a preferred alignment for this extension. They are interested in hearing from you and other owners of Dublin Ranch homes regarding their proposed stations and routes.

With five different stations suggested, you may find that one specifically fits your needs as a local resident. Perhaps the Isabel/I-580 station, just a quick bus ride from Las Positas College, appeals to the student in your family. There's also a proposed station not far from the Lawrence Livermore Lab. Maybe you really enjoy the charm of downtown Livermore, but don't want to spend the time looking for parking. Whatever your reason, your input is welcome; just get your comments to BART before 5pm on January 21st.

For more information on the extension and to get a free copy of the environmental impact report, visit the Bart to Livermore Project, or stop by your local library or city office (in Dublin, Pleasanton or Livermore).